Moonstruck
by HisSweetestHoney
Summary: A lot can happen in a year when you listen to your heart... but what if you can't read the signals? A coming of age story for multiple characters. Sonic/Amy, Shadow/Rouge/Knux, Shadow/Blaze, Tails/Cream. Rating may change.
1. Fixation

**Moonstruck:** unable to act or think normally, especially because of being in love.

_Because it was believed that the moon could affect the mind.

* * *

_

chapter one  
f i x a t i o n ;

* * *

The media didn't help his situation at all.

It was like the world was out to get him or something - as if trying to pry his thoughts away from the lovely rosette wasn't hard enough, every magazine he picked up had her face plastered across it's front page. When had Amy Rose gone from Sonic's number one fan to "_Hottest Girl in Station Square (2011 Edition)_"?

Simply seeing her beaming face gracing the cover of a magazine made Sonic want to pick up the article and search it for another chance to glance at a different angle. He had known Amy for as long as he could remember and yet he couldn't remember her ever looking this exquisitely stunning before. He hadn't thought it possible to look so pretty while laughing. When he took picture laughing he looked like a horse, but not Amy. Amy made it look like it was second nature, like the picture had been carefully painted and every last once of jubilance was transferred into watercolors.

He stopped on one of her pictures. As many times as he had told himself he didn't find her attractive it was hard for him not to admit that she looked pretty. She was wearing a orange tank top that cupped breasts that Sonic didn't know Amy had ever even thought about growing perkily and showed off winsome shoulders that curved into graceful arms that held onto a sunhat with a pink ribbon that sat on her head playfully. Under her bust was a pink ribbon that tied along her waist and released a tiered pink skirt with a light pink and orange floral pattern. The skirt wasn't long at all - it ended well before her knees and it was then and there that the nearly adult male noticed that his number one stalker had some of the hottest legs he'd ever laid eyes on. _What the actual-?_

When had little Rosie the Rascal gained a _figure_? In the picture she was looking upwards at the corner of her hat, biting her lower lip (which was coated in a pink, shiny lipgloss that made her lips look even more kissable than they usually did) and radiating silliness. There was something different about Amy than the rest of the models in the magazine. Amy had a certain realness about her; she seemed to jump off of the page and hold a conversation with you.

Sonic hadn't ever meant to stare at a picture of the most clingy girl he knew. He really just wanted to know when the little girl he had grown up with clinging to his leg began morphing into a super mega ultra hot babe.

Oh, but it was obvious to everyone around. Especially Tails.

"Sonic?"

Sonic nearly leapt out of his seat. With all of the eye humping - _investigating!_ he internally warred against his mind - he had been doing to Amy's picture he had grown unaware of his surroundings. He took a quick glance around; he was seated in the small park in the middle of Station Square, sitting on a park bench and practically hunched over a magazine, open smack dab to a page where Amy had a strange sort of mental connection to him.

So naturally he was embarrassed when his best buddy found him. "Sonic?" he tried again. His older brother jumped and looked over at him, looking increasingly guilty. Baby blue eyes glimpsed at the magazine in his hands.

"Tails!" he leapt out of his seat and dropped the magazine on the bench. "Hey, buddy - what're you doing here?"

_If only Sonic understood how obvious he's being,_ Tails internally mused. He watched his older brother scratch behind his head nervously, as if trying to decide between telling him up front what he had been caught doing and why it was so bad, to try and eat the evidence or run off like a scared child. "I was looking for you."

It wasn't a lie. Lately Sonic had been acting more distant and distracted than usual around Tails. Not only has the kitsune not seen his older brother figure as much lately but even when he spent time with him Sonic was proving to be less interested in what they were doing and more so in whatever was going on in his head. Tails' feelings on the matter were split down the middle. On one side Tails was hurt and on the other he was concerned. What was that important to him that caused him to stray away from his best bud?

It wasn't just that that bothered Tails so much; it was the fact that he had caught his older brother (who had always preached that Amy Rose was _just_ a friend and would never be anything more than that) looking at a very attractive picture of his favorite fangirl. Tails simply couldn't understand the ambiguity of their relationship. Did he like her or not, and if so, how was it going to affect their friendship? Was he going to be this distant to him all the time if he began seeing Amy on a romantic basis regularly? Tails was afraid of losing his big brother.

Sonic gave a chuckle and ruffled the young fox's hair. Tails flushed a bit but grinned a little, relieved that they were falling back into the way they used to be before girls and romance. "Well, you found me!"

"Finally! Do you have any how large this place is?"

Sonic rolled his eyes and kneeled over on one leg, stretching the other out to it's full length. The muscles in his legs tensed and released, and Tails was suddenly unreasonably jealous of Sonic. Why did Sonic have to get all the looks? Not only was he an international hero but he had muscles and a refined form, where as Tails was 15 and lanky.

The blue blur stood up and repeated the action to his other leg while glancing up at Tails, "Ah, you found me, didn't you? No use sitting and crying about it."

Tails let out a breath, "I don't think you understand how hard it is to find you sometimes-"

"You sounded SO much like Ames there, I'm gonna have to take a rain check-"

Standing up, Tails let out a frustrated puff. Why did even this conversation have to turn back in her direction? And _Ames_. A pet name. How cute. How... infuriating. The kitsune folded his arms. Sonic patted his shoulder.

Tails glanced at him again. If he was blushing, Tails was prepared to leave. The Sonic-And-Amy show was on and Tails was determined to change the channel, "I sound nothing like Amy."

"Whatever helps ya sleep at night, bro." Sonic shrugged and then grabbed the magazine from it's roost on the bench. He casually flipped over to the page he had been ogling before and turned so that Tails could see it, "But seriously - how did _this_ happen?"

"Well, Sonic, I assume she went for an interview-"

Sonic flushed, "No, bro, I was talking about _thiiiiis_." Sonic outlined, blushing a little, the curve of her hips down her thighs and then stopped at her mid-shin with his pointer finger, "Amy's never been that pretty _that_ way, if you know what I mean."

Tails laughed. Of all the things to be curious of about Amy, he was wondering where her _body _came from? She had spent most of her life chasing around the fastest thing alive. That was a work out in itself and would certainly cause her legs to refine athletically and alluringly. "I believe that's called puberty."

Eyeing the picture once more, rosiness spread farther across his tan muzzle. _Go figure._

"She's really popular, in case you haven't noticed. Especially with boys. They follow her around like she's the last slice of pizza." Tails noted, as if hoping to deter Sonic away from the idea of courting her. Not only would it draw away from their already limited time together but Sonic was notorious competitive, and his past with Amy wasn't exactly ordeal. She had chased him around like a lovesick puppy and was turned down enough to be considered fluent in rejection. Tails was fairly sure that it would end terribly.

Sonic's eyed shot over to Tail's direction immediately, "Amy had a boyfriend?"

Tails flushed, "Well, uh, I don't know-!"

His older brother grumbled something incoherently. It was startling how quickly his mood had plummeted. Tails raised an eye ridge at him. Maybe this infatuation with Amy was more legit than he realized. Grumpily, Sonic moved forward and towards the sidewalk, clutching the magazine so tightly that it was wrinkling between his grip.

"Where are we going?" Tails piped up, hopeful to try and save what was left of his brother's happiness.

"Home," Sonic grunted in response.

Tails' ears folded over. This was going to be harder than he thought. Why did he have to be so jealous? Was it too much to want some alone time with his brother? He gazed vaguely over to the beach. He knew Amy was over there. She had told Cream and him so while on the phone with them earlier in the week and invited them to tag along. She had said something about free donuts.

He debated telling Sonic about the photo shoot for a moment. How would Sonic take to having to watch Amy, in a bathing suit, probably, posing in front of a bunch of men holding cameras? What if it was in a provocative pose? What if it was one of those stringy bikinis, and the main man with the camera had to walk over and position her?

Tails let out a chuff. Yeah, he wasn't going to tell him.

"Little bud?"

His ears perked up. He hadn't realized that he had been staring at the beach that long. Sonic waved from his position near the train doors. "What're you doing over there? Did you see someone you know or somethin'?"

"...No," Tails barreled over and sent Sonic an innocent smile as they took their seats, "just zoned off."

* * *

"Pivot your head up a little, rosy - yeah, perfect babe!" the man called encouragingly.

Amy Rose tipped her head upwards, her chin pointing out confidently as one of her legs strayed farther from the other. A flash of lights surrounded her and she took it as her cue to move. Pivoting both arms forward, she cupped her hands in the shape of a heart and opened her mouth in an unlatched smile, popping one over, pressing her toes into the sand and balancing on the balls of her other foot.

Meanwhile, Cream munched on her third donut. She remained staring at Amy; there wasn't anything else to do anyways and if Cream continued munching on the donuts she'd gain more weight than she wanted to. Although... it _would_ be nice to gain some weight in the appropriate areas.

The bunny watched the right strap of Amy's sundress slide down her arm, the bright blue strap of her bikini open for the eye to see. The top button of the dress was undone; it had to be. If it was buttoned it simply slid back out. The dress had been tailored for a girl with a small bust, and apparently Amy's chest didn't fit that budget. Cream let out a frustrated huff. When was she going to be as alluring as the rosy rascal was?

Amy let out an adorable giggle and shifted position again, twirling so that her back was to the camera, rested a beach ball on her hip and gazed over her shoulder. The man with the camera - a middle aged tabby cat - shrugged a little and then grinned wide as Amy bit her lip. He gave a quick thumbs up and snapped the picture, saving the moment of shining radiance for another time.

Cream nibbled at the donut again. _You're 13, Cream_. Amy had told her. _You remember I didn't exactly look like this when I was your age - I had the scrawniest legs ever! You're really pretty! Your body is just going through changes right now, everything's going to feel awkward. You're lucky, I didn't have an older sister to hold my hand through puberty. _

_Yeah, Amy, but even then you had bigger boobs than I have. _Cream fidgeted uncomfortably. _You had to wear a bigger bra when you were 12 than I do now, and I'm turning 14 this year._

_I hate being a late bloomer._ She stuffed her hand back into the box of donuts and grabbed one of the jelly variety. She wasn't really hungry any more, but at this point she was frustrated and the first thing that came to mind to soothe her irritation was to stuff herself silly.

Halfway through her jelly-filled metaphorical stress ball Amy scampered over, cheeks rosier than usual. She reached over and grabbed a water bottle from the cooler by the donut box. She unscrewed the cap and took a long, deep sip, tipping her head back in the process. Cream watched her as she did so; the whole scene reminded her of the dynamic, beautiful girls that she used to see Sonic with long before they had met Shadow. Sonic had notoriously dated and got to know many of the girls around. It was that moment that Cream decided that Sonic and Amy would be a better match than Sonic knew.

When had Amy changed clothes? The younger female scrutinized her appearance; a red skirt, black fishnet rose tights, black ruffle boots and a red and white artsy shirt. She had a long, black, rose-embellished necklace and her quills, resembling hair, was pulled back in a high ponytail

"I'm off," she said cheerfully after her long sip. She screwed the cap back on the water bottle and lobbed it over to Cream. The bunny caught it narrowly. "Do you want to go get some lunch or something, Cream?

Cream laughed nervously. "I kinda already stuffed myself silly..."

"Well..." Amy eyed the practically empty donut box. "I can see that."

Cream pinked as her older sister figure linked arms with her and tugged here away from her fattening pick me up. Cream yelped a little in surprise before giving Amy a very mundane look. The rosette stuck her tongue out playfully and continued to drag her younger sister along.

"Hey, look - the train's leaving," Amy noted distractedly. "I should visit Sonic..."

And then suddenly, she yanked on Cream's arm again and gave her a wide, playful smile. It was a teasing grin, and Cream knew already, without Amy saying anything, what this was going to be about. Cream, growing pinker by the moment, shook her head and feebly tried to rescue her arm from the hedgehog's encasing grasp. "No, Amy!"

"Aww, Cream, c'mon! Tails doesn't bite, he's a nice kid!"

"I regret telling you about it at all," Cream mused, turning her face away, blushing magnificently. The fawn-shaded bunny let out a chuff and pivoted her head upwards to try and make herself seem more stern, but Amy was taller than her (just barely - Cream was sprouting up like a weed and Amy was still petite for her age) and it was a lost cause. Amy burst into another rounds of giggles and tugged the younger girl along the beach. The sand was scuffing against their shoes.

It wasn't that Cream didn't trust Amy's romantic judgement, it was just that she was hazy on the subject, to say the least. Amy, through everything, knew a lot about romance but couldn't seem to lasso in her own love interest; even modeling and growing up to be one of the prettiest girls around didn't appear to have helped her in the pursuit of Sonic's heart. Cream would trust Amy with her life, but her _love_ life? She wasn't so sure. Maybe if Amy had a successful track record it would be different, but Amy's history with romance had a long track record of rejections and broken hearts, of being left behind and crying to Cream over the phone at midnight when Cream was supposed to be sleeping,

She didn't regret her friendship with Amy; she could be abrasive in her pursuit of affections, she was bossy and she could be a little selfish at times but Cream knew her 'big sister' cared for her deeply. When the older boys on the playground had stepped on her flower crown she had been making for Cheese it was Amy who had marched over and gave them nuclear wedgies. It was Amy who held her hand through the first steps of puberty; it was Amy that guarded Cream with her life when they were on a team with Big.

She idolized her. Amy was bold and unafraid. Amy liked to task risks and was courageous. She was chasing the fastest thing alive, the boy notoriously known as the biggest bachelor in Station Square and didn't seem too deterred by the fact. Amy was beautiful, with longish pick elfin locks and still managed to look threatening standing at a meager height.

But just because she loved Amy like a sister didn't mean she wanted to mirror her love life after hers. She wasn't sure she could take that kind of heartache.

Cream took a long look at the rosette as she tugged the small rabbit along, gleaming peridots pointed forward. She looked happy enough, on the outside... but how did she really feel? Was the burning pain of constant rejection tearing her heart apart? Was she sad? Was she angry? Was she content with looking towards the future? ...Was she really okay with knowing that Sonic would probably never marry her if he even loved her?

They'd certainly _look_ good together, Cream thought mischievously. Pink and blue; boy and girl. The idea of the hero and his admirer was a cliche - a hero and his bubbly heroine. It was slightly different than the idea of the knight and the princess. Amy was pretty, but she was certainly not a princess. Cream knew how much Amy hated being a damsel; she didn't like to feel weak. She wanted to prove to Sonic that she could keep up with him. It was why she continued to induce the chase even though she knew that she'd never be fast enough to catch up.

The fawn bunny bit her lip. "Do you think he likes me?"

Amy grinned at her cattishly. "Of course I do! How couldn't he, you two have been friends forever. Sonic and I used to take bets on which one of you would crack first. He owes me a date because you admitted it to me."

Cream hued again. The idea of being with Miles Prower always made her warm and fuzzy, and the thought of holding hands with him made her more pink than before. Admittedly, in her early years, she hadn't found him romantically interesting; he was just Tails, the other young child who was left behind when Sonic and Amy flirted in the odd way they did so well. Recently, after another attack on Station Square where Tails had risked his namesakes for her she had begun to see him in another light. She suddenly understood exactly why Amy had chased after Sonic after all these years; love.

She began to notice all the little things about him that she hadn't. How had she not known that he had the most _gorgeous_ baby blue eyes? Big sapphires that twinkled while he worked on machinery. He was kind and courteous and knew his manners, a true gentleman. He was the type of boy that Cream knew her mother wouldn't be upset with. He'd be a nice first boyfriend.

Boyfriend. She blushed harder.

"I'm so proud of you," Amy started as they sat on the train. The leather was fading and the seat squeaked when the two ladies sat down. Cream swung her legs in the air. "Falling for Tails, how _adorable_~"

"Don't tell the whole world, Amy!" the fawn-shaded bunny hued. Amy nodded softly, a discreet smile gracing her lovely features. The way the sunlight burst in from the window behind the hedgegirl suddenly made Cream very self-conscious of herself. How was it possible to be that pretty?

The smile she sent was a silent promise. From now until they came back, the subject of Tails and Cream as a couple was buried in her mind. Amy knew her boundaries... well, she knew her boundaries about other people's love lives. Never hers. The belle would certainly mention her love life later on in their trip.

* * *

"I can't believe faker lets her flaunt herself around like that," the ebony hedgehog grunted as Amy's smiling face bounced upon the television. It wasn't the only thing. "She's going to get herself knocked up."

Rouge let out a laugh, stretching her long, shapely legs along the length of the couch. Her calves rested against his lap. He fidgeted a little. "Well, she's new to having a body. Let her enjoy it while she can... I don't know if big blue really knows about her little hobby yet."

"Well, she's not posing naked, is she?"

Rouge scoffed a little. "Why would I know, Shadow? Do I look like I read playboy?"

Shadow ignored her and glued his eyes back to the screen. Rouge had to admit, it was odd to see someone you knew on television; especially someone who they had both practically watched grow up. Had they ever imagined Sonic's little fangirl would ever be a model? No. They had both assumed she'd just move away, frustrated with Sonic's indecisiveness and overall demur towards the subject. The ambiguity of their relationship frustrated even them.

The commercial ended and the show finally resumed to play; they had both agreed on watching one of those crime shows. It had crime and punishment for Shadow and hunky lawyers and scientists for Rouge. She glanced at her ebony stud; his ruby eyes were glued to the television. A no-nonsense look peered back at her as she leaned on him flirtatiously. He scooted away from her and she scooted towards him.

He grumbled in response and kept watching the show. Rouge grinned in victory and attempted to snuggle her head into his furry chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice bordering on annoyance.

She rolled her eyes a little. _Does he always have to be so blunt?_ "Trying to be romantic with my boyfriend, what do you think?"

The femme fatale felt more and more like a certain pink rascal as he gave her a dark look. _Jeez, what is it going to take to make him want to get up close and personal with me?_ the coquette mused internally. _ Do I have to show a little more skin? Damn, that's all guys ever want out of me... oh well, I guess it's not their fault I'm 'gifted'._

Smirking, Rouge unbuttoned the second two buttons on her blouse, exposing a little cleavage. It was clear to Shadow then and there way Rouge had in mind; he shot up and out of the seat, causing his dissatisfied girlfriend to plop down onto the arm of the love seat, face first. "Rouge, I told you I don't want to have sex until I'm married."

Rouge grumbled. _Leave it to me to date the only old fashioned boy in Station Square._ How did she manage to end up with a prude? How could anyone so attractive be abstinent? "Maybe I wasn't trying to get down and dirty, maybe I just wanted to cuddle. Apparently taking off my clothes is the only way boys want to spend time with me."

Shadow gave her a look. "You're classier than that."

"Guess not," she yawned and sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "You're standing in the way of the TV, Shad. Come sit back down? I promise I'll behave," she purred.

It was clear that he wasn't buying it. His expression was completely deadpan. The temptress gave an annoyed chuff and pouted, her ruby lips looking more plump and moist than before. All of her tricks seemed to go right over the moralist, however, as he looked harder at her, his features looking stony.

Mirthlessly, he folded his arms over his chest in such a Shadow way that Rouge had to laugh. Did he seriously think that old trick would make her quiver in her boots? She had seen him attempt to overpower her with that vacant expression and stern posture many times and it never seemed to work. "You're such a baby," she mused.

He grunted and walked away. Rouge heard his footsteps get farther and farther away until the sentence of denial was punctuated with a door slam.

"What are you so afraid of?" Rouge shouted, standing up and looking offset. Men never turned her down. _Ever_. She was Rouge the Bat, the sexiest gem thief around. Men worshiped the ground she walked on. And what was that, _you're classier than that?_ She was plenty classy! So she was ostentatious, what was the big deal? Everyone in the town had a dirty little secret, skeletons in their closets...! She managed a _club_, for crying out loud! What did he expect?

She huffed and draped herself along the couch. _I have needs. I have sexual needs that shouldn't be deprived, I might go crazy_ she thought, incensed. She hadn't ever gone long without being satisfied; she had been attractive since she was a young teenager, and men everywhere always seemed to notice. It wasn't that she was _trashy_, per say, but she didn't exactly cover herself up. She typically wore a black and pink catsuit that was definitely too small for her now and heeled boots while on her spying and thieving missions. _It's helpful when trying to reason with someone when they're too busy staring at your tits to really comprehend what you're talking about_, she reassured herself.

So why was Shadow so against being romantic with her?

It had been a mutual decision between the both of them to start up a relationship. They had been dating for 6 months and they'd done nothing more than kiss. It was literally driving Rouge insane to go slow with their relationship. She needed something, some stimulation - she was dying of boredom! She didn't know if she _loved_ Shadow or not but definitely knew that there was the potential for something more to bloom and flourish.

She definitely wasn't going to break up with him; not when she felt something there between the lines... but she couldn't _tell_ if he wasn't ever going to make a move! She'd never had a relationship like this before - it was a slow brewing kind, a long term one... she wasn't used to it. It wasn't what she had had before. She was used to quick, passionate flings and then breaking it off because of a disagreement. Did she know how to go slow?

It was odd; just moments before she had felt empathy for Amy and now she was feeling increasingly like her blue beau. Was this why he didn't want to be with Amy? Amy was younger than him - he was 20 and she was 17. She knew the blue blur had morals when it came to girls younger than him. She was fairly certain that he'd feel odd about doing anything beyond kisses and cuddles with his little stalker. She knew he wasn't a virgin.

Shadow often mocked and critiqued Sonic for his romantic exhibitions. It was just another thing that Shadow didn't like about him. Sonic had been with plenty of girls, though he hadn't been dating then at the time. When he was 17 he went through a particularly wild faze where he'd be caught with a different girl every night for a week or so, then go on a break and do it again. The process had been kept secret from Amy... until Rouge herself had broken the news to the rosy rascal.

It was around that time that Amy had started to worry more and more about her appearance. Oddly enough, it was also around that time that Shadow had begun to show more romantic interest in Rouge herself. It was odd.

Sonic had stopped sleeping around around the age of 18 with the younger girls that had idolized him. Apparently the idea of being an adult and getting in bed with 16 year old girls had bothered him or something. Rouge didn't really see the problem with it. He was only 2 years older than them... instead he had dated Sally, who was his age. They had broken it off when they both were 19 on good terms. They still talked. In fact, as far as Rouge knew, they were still good friends and went out to lunch often. The romantic thing just didn't seem to work for them.

_I feel like a cat in heat_, Rouge thought crossly. She gazed back at Shadow's door. _Damn him.

* * *

_

Alright, so this officially is the kick off of my new fanfiction **Moonstruck**. In case anybody didn't know what moonstruck means, I put a nice little definition as the first sentence. In case you haven't noticed yet, I like to do things differently than the norm. I like strange little headers. It draws attention and makes my writing unique.

There are three or so storylines going on during this fic, and it takes place over a period of a few years (I haven't decided if I want to end it after the second year or not - I might go into a third, but maybe I'll make each year a different story) so it's probably going to be a lengthier one. As you can tell, I try to pack as much as I can into a chapter. I like to write descriptively. It's who I am. I like to write out thoughts and details about what's going on in the character's heads. Psyches are cool.

**AGES:**  
Sonic - 20  
Tails - 15  
Cream - 13  
Amy - 17 (is currently 16, the 17th birthday is coming up on September 23rd. Is currently mid August in the fic.)  
Rouge - 21  
Knuckles - 20  
Shadow - 20

Obviously I've fudged some ages to better fit the storyline. It's my own creative license; all I've really done is bumped Cream and Tails closer to everybody else's ages. I wanted to tighten the gap between the two. Ideally, for this to work correctly and how I've planned out, Cream needs to be in her early teen years and Tails needs to be still on the younger side but going through that semi-awkward male change. Guys really start to change when they're 16/17, but nobody said that they can't be early bloomers. (;

Even though I lessened the gap between Tails, Cream and Amy, I wanted to keep Sonic three years older than his lovely lady. Their age difference will certainly come into play later.

Also, important things are outlined in this chapter, as odd as it may seem. Things I touch base on may be elaborated on later.

**PAIRINGS:**  
Sonic/Amy, Tails/Cream (my first!), Knuckles/Rouge (hang in there, it's coming) and some Shadouge... but don't get your hopes up too high on the Shadouge, as you can already tell it's not working well cough did I say something?

UMM, UMM... I think that's all that can be said right now. xD I don't know what else to say. ANYWAYS! Please leave a response (; I need feedback, it's what fuels me to write. If this flops I won't continue with it. Thanks! If you've read this all the way through, please put "pineapples" somewhere in your comment. Thanks, lovelies!


	2. Dabble in

chapter two  
d a b b l e in ;

* * *

He had learned the sound of her footsteps.

It was because he had a trained ear, really; when you spend years upon years of running away from the same girl, you tend to realize what sounds mean to book it before it's too late. She took heavy steps when she ran; she took steps much too heavy for a girl of her stature, actually. She sounded like a stampede of elephants coming his way, which was nearly bizarre because the rosette only had two feet and he was sure she couldn't weigh _that_ much.

He was half expecting her to come barreling at him with arms wide open and tackle him into the grass. It was certainly something she would have done a few years back. He was weary upon her arrival but quickly noted that since she had an equally bushed looking Cream by the wrist as was currently tugging her along like a rag doll it was unlikely that she'd be knocking him over with the bunny in tow. Hopefully Amy knew better than to start a hedgepile.

"Sonic!" she called, peridots bright with warmth. He sent a grin her way, almost laughing as she trampled over her clumsy feet. When was she going to learn that running pigeon-toed was a bad idea? "Sooonic!"

"Yo, elephant foot," he riposted, throwing a hand up lazily. He cracked a cockier grin at her and watched her eyes grow wide before squinting at him in a dangerously determined way.

Sonic had been standing on top the hill at Tails' house, waiting outside for the kitsune to finish going to the bathroom before the two went out on the run. Sonic was certainly standing by the hill until Amy had let go of Cream by Tails' doorstep and threw her entire bodyweight at Sonic. He yelped a little and held out his hands in a weak attempt at stopping her; it didn't work, and down the two hedgehogs tumbled. They rolled over each other as they spilled down the hill until they finally hit the bottom, Sonic's feet up in the air and Amy sprawled out on top of him.

The blue boy could clearly smell the fresh aroma of the grass below him. It was like he was one with the grass; he could even feel the dirt that padded it underneath. He had ants up his nose... oh. That would be because he had landed face first in the ground on an ant hill and she was laying on his back. He could even feel the little legs squirming up his muzzle.

He gave a full body shudder and sneezed; he felt them fly from his face and into the ground. _Hahaha. Take that, stupid little crawlers!_

The rosette on top of him squirmed and sat up, sitting on his bottom and making him shudder again in a different way. He internally begged her to move before his brain melted into mush. "Whoopsies.." she giggled, embarrassed. "I guess I could have slowed down a little before I hugged you..."

"I thought you outgrew the glomps," he grumbled, sitting his chin on the grass so that he wasn't face down in mucus, dirt and bugs.

She shrugged a little as she wiggled and pivoted herself from his butt to the grass beside him. He sat up and watched her gingerly; she folded her legs by her side in a very ladylike manner and smoothed her scarlet colored skirt along her thighs. Her quills looked nice up... but it wouldn't be nearly as easy for him to run his fingers through them now that they weren't down and bouncing around her rosy cheeks.

_You don't like her like that,_ he reminded himself stubbornly. A shake of his head tore his thoughts from romantic actions with the rosy rascal like a mental flyswatter.

Amy grinned mischievously and tilted her head at him, the stubborn tuff on top of her head bouncing over one of her peridot eyes. "You compared me to an elephant, it was payback!"

"Well, not my fault you run like one," Sonic grinned back at her, mirroring her playful expression. Before long, he had leapt at her and they were rolling around on the ground like lion cubs, playfully swatting and growling at one another.

Cream peered over the edge of the hill, shaking her head but smiling at them all the same. It was refreshing to see the two of them not making the other flustered or upset. It was calming to the rabbit to see the two of them acting like childish best friends. It was cute how Amy looked like she was really trying to win where as Sonic was trying just hard enough not to lose but at the same time letting her have the upper hand.

_Would Tails do the same for me?_ she thought, pensively. She tried to replace Amy and Sonic with Tails and herself, respectively, but soon found that it wasn't as adorable. _I'm not a particularly violent girl and I don't think Tails would go for wrestling with me. He'd probably be too afraid of me getting hurt_.

That didn't appear to be a problem for Sonic, however. He rolled Amy over and sat on her stomach, looking victorious. She exhaled a little and wiggled her torso, as if trying to pivot herself out of her predicament but it wasn't working under Sonic's weight. He was heavier and bigger than she was.

Sonic was saying something to her and she snapped something back at him eagerly. She was looking smug and Cream spied a rosy blush rapidly spreading across his muzzle like wildfire. Amy appeared to be squirming and Sonic was just sitting on her, holding her in place.

"What are they doing?" Tails inquired suddenly. Cream jumped; she hadn't noticed him walk out of his house and down the steps. He stood next to her on the hill and watched his older brother wrestle with the lovely rosette playfully. She took a swipe at him and he caught her hand, caressing her wrist lightly. Tails' stomach dropped. _When did __**she**__ get here?_

Cream laughed nervously, feeling herself get warmer the closer he stood. "He compared her to a hoard of elephants. She knocked him down the hill and now they're flirting," Cream shook the subject quickly. "So, how have you been, Tails?" she asked brightly.

_Why is it Amy always has to draw his attention away from me?_ he mused, looking increasingly more sullen and foul. Mere moments ago before Tails had to take a pee the two boys had been acting like best of friends again, joking and trotting up the hill together just like in the old days. The old days, before girls and blushing and all of that weird stuff that love brought; back when it was just Sonic, Tails and the ground beneath them. What was it going to take for Tails to get those days back?

"Who does she think she is?" he grumbled in a low voice, completely missing Cream's question.

Cream giggled at him. "Well, I think she thinks she's Amy Rose, and she's always thought that she was his girl."

Tails jumped, looking scandalized. He hadn't realized that he had been ignoring Cream; in fact, he hadn't heard her at all. He was too busy damning Amy's existence in his head to even hear the bunny standing right beside him. She now stood almost at his height. She was tall for her age, and her legs were long and thin. She almost appeared a bit lanky but in a lovable sort of way. Her darker-shaded hair was pulled into a long plait down her back.

Her warm chocolate eyes stared at him intently. "Uhm.." he trailed off, struggling to come up for an excuse for his own incompetence before she blushed and pulled her line of sight away from him and back at the hedgehogs below them. She appeared to be flustered. "I zoned out, sorry Cream."

"It's okay," she voiced honestly, her voice soft and sweet like a melody. It was cute how soft spoken she was. "I asked how you were."

"Good," he answered curtly. His eyes were still on Sonic and Amy, who were now rolling and struggling for dominance. It was repulsive how adorable they were. It was nauseating how much fun Sonic appeared to be having. "Just... great."

Cream watched his eyes carefully. She then followed his line of sight and discovered that he was watching Sonic tickle Amy with his jaw locked, looking progressively more displeased. She raised an eyebrow. Why was he so cross about Sonic and Amy being playful with one another? Cream found his playful tickling of his secret love interest quite sweet and endearing. The way he was looking at Amy was warmer and softer than she'd ever seen him look at any of the past girls he flung with; he had a heated romance with those girls and had stared at them in complete male lust, where as he was looking at Amy with great admiration, almost... love, was it? Was he really in love with Amy?

So... why was Tails so set against it? Didn't he think Sonic was a good match for Amy, too? Hadn't Amy earned it after all of the blood and sweat and tears?

And then it hit her like a sack of bricks.

Tails was in love with her best friend.

* * *

Being on top of a girl was nothing new for him. Back in the days of his 'Wild Faze', as he liked to call it, he had often been on top of several extremely attractive women. There was no question about it; he had slept with some of the most exotic and beautiful women in the world. Blonde, brunette, red head, black hair; he had dated and slept with all. He didn't discriminate. His perception of beauty was large. He found each girl to be lovely in their own way. He had slept with them all, didn't he? Was it bad that he wasn't exactly proud of it, when it came to being with _her?_

The feel of her skin was incredible. He wasn't even touching her bare breast and he was being stimulated; the feel of the skin on her stomach, the softness of her fur - it was almost too much for him. Oh, and it was the sounds that escaped her moist, silken lips, each gasp unique and adorable in it's own way. The girl under him wasn't like the girls before.

She was younger... and she had a history with him. An odd history - chasing him to the ends of the earth, hand outstretched and legs moving rapidly even though it was impossible for her to ever catch up - but a history nonetheless. Her shining determination went unmatched, as far as he was concerned. Amy was something else just for that alone.

Something else... _what, _exactly? He pondered it.

"Soo-niiiic!" Amy Rose squealed as she thrashed about, desperate to get Sonic's wiggling fingers away from her stomach. There were tears in her eyes and she was laughing so hard she almost couldn't breathe. Yelping and gasping for breath, she attempted to crawl away. She squealed again as Sonic grabbed her ankles and dragged her back before continuing his delightful torture.

He grinned at her and continues to tickle her; he hadn't noticed that she had begun to wiggle out of her skirt until the hemline to her undergarments were in plain sight. Blushing, he quickly stopped and allowed her to situate herself before pulling her into another round of tickles. She squeaked and thrashed, chest heaving with laughter and breath. He simply couldn't get over how _adorable_ she looked when she was laughing.

It was odd; when they were younger he wouldn't be caught dead playing with her like this. He was always too afraid she'd jump him. _She's not all that bad, I guess_, he thought fleetingly, his fingers dancing across her skin as she shrieked and squealed.

After a few more minutes of titillation he drew his hands back and allowed his follower to catch her sweet breath. He watched her lips almost jealously as she drew in breath, cursing the air for it's ability to touch her lips. Sonic sat, disturbed for a moment. Was he really just getting jealous of Amy's _breath_ because it got to fill her? What..

"Y-You're so me-_heaaan_!" she shrieked as he jumped at her again, pinning her down. Her cheeks were still rosy and her eyes watery, evidence from their tickle session from before. "Sonic!"

"Put some clothes on next time you go to a photo shoot, would ya?" he solicited.

She nudged him off of her lightly and sat, smoothing her skirt down once again to feign modesty. Her nails were painted red, he noticed randomly. They looked nice with her complexion. "I _was_ dressed, Sonic," she informed in a ritzy tone. "What's wrong, never seen cleavage before?"

Amy looked at him in such a challenging way that he knew it would be best not to answer that question straight up honestly. _She knows_, he mentally panicked. But how couldn't she? It wasn't like he didn't flash his arm candy around years ago like they were prizes or something. Not one of those girls that he hooked up with were remotely datable. They were all pretty trampy.

He decided to take a different approach. "I've never seen yours before. Do you know the way all the men ogle you? It's disgusting."

"Well, excuse me for not being 12 years old anymore!" she stood up, the playful, teasing atmosphere shattering around them. Her hands planted at her hips. "_You're_ not my mother, Sonic the Hedgehog! You're so one to talk, you dirty hypocrite!"

He jumped up to his feet as well, suddenly defensive. "I didn't pose half naked in magazines!"

"No, you just _got naked_ with every legal girl in town!" she snapped, peridots sparking with repressed fury and anguish.

Sonic glowered at her, feeling the need to defend his virtue. "I never did it with Rouge, and she was legal."

The pink hedgehog scowled at him and turned on her heals. Her high ponytail swung around and he felt himself slapped with the motion. She was angry. Not just angry, she was betrayed. She felt denounced. She began striding up the hill, her steps heavier than usual. He mentally cursed himself for his past exploits. _I'm losing one of my best friends because I couldn't control my hormones years ago, how's that fair? She was a friggen STALKER!_

It wasn't a lie. Especially in her younger years, Amy clung to Sonic like a sock fresh out of the drier to laundry. It was overwhelming and frightening, to say the least.

But this Amy wasn't the same little girl he had grown up with, he quickly noticed. Sure, she looked like her old self with a few minor adjustments (read: boobs) and she was certainly as temperamental and quirky, but it appeared that age had matured her in more than one way. It was that that made him decide that it was his turn to be the bigger man for once. _Time to come clean._

Stuffing his pride in his pocket, he spoke out. "Maybe I don't want creeps like me taking advantage of you!" he called out to her. She frozen, half way up the hill. "You're pretty, Amy, they..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence for he was blushing much too hard. He had lost the nerve again.

_Why am I even blushing, I don't even like her like that. She's Amy, the same little girl who trailed me around like a horny school girl when she was 12 and wanted me to marry her and have my babies-_

He was ripped from his thoughts as she threw herself back at him. He hadn't even noticed her run back down the hill. He took a step back and sturdied himself this time, catching her narrowly. He felt himself explode with a giveaway blush. Her arms wrapped around him and she snuggled into his furry chest, smiling and sighing contently. "You're not a creep Sonic, you're just a guy," she giggled softly, looking up with him with those pretty green eyes and making him forget all about his internal struggle over his feelings for her. "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

"You're 17, you're not even an adult yet Amy," he managed to sound like a man and not like a strangled little child, paralyzed with unusual feelings. He felt really warm; warmer than he should have.

She tittered at him and let go of him, dusting herself off again in the process. He brushed past her; he didn't want to deal with these feelings anymore. He didn't want to feel so warm around her, it was strange and it scared him to no end. He couldn't help but look at her, however, as she brushed past him, eyes bright and smile warm with years of maturity, and cooed, "race ya!"

* * *

Why was Knuckles the Echidna sitting on her couch?

Rouge rubbed her sapphire eyes, as if trying to convince herself that she was dreaming; surely there would be no reason why _that_ knucklehead was seated on her and Shadow's couch? It was random, it was odd... Knuckles had never exactly been friendly with the either of them.

As Rouge came closer, she realized that Shadow was on the couch too. Both of them appeared to be hunched over something. The bat jumped as Knuckles screamed something incoherently. The bat squinted.

Knuckles and Shadow were playing Call of Duty.

..._Really?_

She scowled and rolled her eyes. How did Knuckles even know how to _play_ that game, he lived up on an island all by himself! There wasn't even electricity up there! As her investigation drew closer she uncovered that Knuckles appeared to be doing absolutely atrocious at the game. In fact, he was running and jumping at a wall, firing his gun and giving away his location. As Shadow's character rounded the corner and ended Knuckles' marvelous reign against the bricks Knuckles gave a great shout of frustration and threw his controller against the couch cushions.

Rouge snickered. "Nice moves, Knuxie."

"Can it, bat girl," he grumbled, looking more and more like a red lump. Chuffing, he grabbed the controller with his mitts again his character leaped around.

"Knuxie, that's not the firing button, that's the jump button-"

"-ARGH, why doesn't Shadow ever tell me all the controls-?"

"-I told you how to fire!" Shadow roared as he gained another kill. Knuckles' character fell to the ground and so did his controller.

Rouge looked annoyed. "Easy with the technology, knucklehead! You're not the one paying for that!"

Knuckles looked at her, equally annoyed (if not more). She grunted and stood himself, as if better posture would help him win the fight. "No, all of the gems you steal do! Speaking of gems, have you touched my Master Emerald?"

She felt her stomach leap into her throat. Was that the only reason why he ever bothered coming to talk to her? Because he thought she took his dumb emerald? It wasn't quite clear to Rouge yet why she found so much offense in this notion. It wasn't like she hadn't given him reason to be suspicious in the past, but weren't they friends now...? Or on friendlier terms, at least? Why did he always come to her first when the Master Emerald was stolen? It was a little offensive. She hadn't stolen anything in a while, she had been too busy managing Club Rouge.

She shoved him with her right hand. "I didn't take your wife, chill," she snarled at him, suddenly in a foul mood. _He really does care more about that damn gem than he does about all of his friends combined. No wonder why he's so bitter and grumpy all the time, he's alone._

Knuckles grumbled incoherently.

"If you see the emerald, let me know," he managed, struggling to keep his temper at bay.

Knuckles brushed by her on his way out, never meaning to coquet her but somehow managing to send a round of pleasurable shivers up her spine. The temptress turned her head and watched the red furred man walk out. It was probably his firm, muscular arms that got to her; Rouge knew a good looking slice of man when she saw one and Knuckles wasn't too shabby. Aside from his good looks, he was a pretty nice guy, too once one got past the infamous temper, gullibility and tendency to focus all of his attention on a big green rock.

Regardless of her previous conviction concerning the muscle-bound hunk, she still couldn't shake the rising feeling of warmth that bubbled into her stomach. Rouge was unable to reframe from feeling positively confused as to why Knuckles brought out more of a reaction from her just by bumping shoulders and elbows than her own boyfriend did. It was true that Shadow and Rouge weren't sexually active with each other, but the bat was fairly certain Knuckles was a virgin all together.

But... then again, she was sure Shadow was one too. Damn. How did she manage to get stuck with the only two prudes in town? _I should have pried after Sonic, he's not afraid of some action in bed - Amy may have killed me, though._ _She might be a little girl but she can certainly carry her own weight. I don't desire to be on the receiving end of that hammer of hers._

Shadow chuffed to himself, sotto voce. "He's going to get himself in trouble some day."

Rouge caught the undertone and perked up her well trained ears. Being a bat had it's perks. "Ha! Shadow, you're just noticing this now? He's asking for a disaster."

The ruby tinged hedgehog nodded his head at his significant other briefly and bent over, grasping the controller that Knuckles had tossed in his haste. His feet, slightly small and nimble, clicked against the wooden floor as he ambled over to the entertainment center and placed the controller in it's previous home. The glass door clicked into place.

"He really thought you had it, Rouge."

She scoffed a little, looking up from gazing at her red painted nails. "I didn't, Shadow," she snapped moodily. He chose not to comment on her sudden change in demeanor. "Did you think I did?"

The dim lighting diluted his expression, luckily enough for him. The smug look never left as he lingered where he stood for a moment, silently thanking the lambent look of the room. Rouge's pricey chandeliers did come in handy after all. Without another word, he dropped onto the couch and resumed his game.

* * *

He remembered it all; the curve of her body, the look of her lips curling upwards into that snide, evil little smile; she was like a bad itch that he couldn't scratch, for it was far out of his reach and just taunting him monotonously.

As soon as Knuckles escaped the premises of Rouge's home his muzzle exploded into a marvelous red shade to match his fur. By now, he was red all over. Why was this woman the only one to have this effect over him? Amy never made him feel like this, and she was certainly as beautiful as Rouge in a different way, right? Amy was a model, he had been told (by Tails, of course). Amy had a bright smile and pretty green eyes. So... why didn't Amy spark the same stomach-churning, heart-throbbing reaction in him?

Was it because Amy was annoying? Knuckles had never gotten along particularly well with the rosy rascal from the start, but it was the same song and dance for Rouge, too. In fact, Rouge had tried to steal _his_ emerald!

_My emerald... where in the world could it be, then, if Rouge doesn't have it?_

The crimson guardian set his sights on the train to Mystic Ruins. Sonic. Sonic must have his emerald - or something to do with it, at least; it was always Rouge or him that did. Both stuck their noses where they didn't belong and got caught up in other people's business. Sonic just did it legally, where as he wasn't quite so sure as to where Rouge's allegiances lied.

His thought strayed back to the ivory bat. She flirted too much for her own good, he had decided upon early on. She was dating Shadow. For whatever reason, Knuckles couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the thought of it. Rouge was outgoing, snarky, beautiful, sexy and an extremely sensual woman; Shadow was closed away, locked up, taken aback and dreary, caught on the thoughts on the blonde haired girl he had lost almost 60 years ago. Then again... Knuckles knew he wasn't exactly the most up to date person in the world, either. He couldn't even play a video game right.

Knuckles trudged along the sidewalk, his shoes scuffing against the cement. At least he sun was out, it made the walk back a little less mind-numbing. The sun was bright and birds were chirping. It seemed as though everything around was extra cheery, something straight out of a Disney movie.

"I'm not happy," he grumbled to himself. He wasn't entirely sure if it were the emerald's fault or the woman who tantalized him so.

His cheeks tinted and warmed as another round of thoughts concerning her whirled back into his conscious mind. Maybe comparing her beauty to Amy wasn't fair to the hedgegirl; Rouge was the most beautiful woman around. Long shapely legs that seemed to stretch on for miles, curvaceous hips, larger than average bosom, a thin waist, a sleek coat, bright blue-green eyes... he could barely believe he found himself drooling at the thought of her. He wiped up the evidence with the back of his mitt. Damn her.

_She has a boyfriend now,_ he reminded himself. _It's wrong of you to think of her like that - wrong for you to think of her at all, she's a thieving batgirl and that's all she'll ever be! A pain in the butt!_

But that didn't mean he couldn't be intrigued by her, right? After all, she was adept at fighting and martial arts. There was much to be learned; she embraced the power in her womanly legs, where as all of his power came from his well-worked arms. Combing both would be a wise plan in terms of safety for his heirloom.

It was then Knuckles the Echidna decided that teaming up with Rouge the Bat to learn more in the ways of fighting with his legs was a good plan. He decided right then and there that spending more time with the pneumatic agent. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Knuckles was naive, however, and really had _no idea_ what he was getting himself into.

* * *

**I've decided to continue with Moonstruck. (; I've gotten pretty good feedback on it and it seems as though everyone who's read it and left me a response likes it enough to not want to throat punch me if I continue on with it!**

**In this chapter two of the parties catch up with each other in their odd ways; Amy reverts to her old self for a moment and Cream and Tails have an awkward little moment. Cream's 13 and is new to these feelings, and Tails' is more than just a little distracted... but, oh no! Cream has the complete wrong idea!**  
**Knuckles made his way into the fic. Gotta love the guy 3**

**I don't know when my next update will be. I can hope that it'll be soon, but who knows with my odd mind. Today's Sonic and Amy's 1 month anniversary on one of the RPs I'm in. (: I thought this would be a nice way to celebrate, ya dig?**

**So PLEAASEE PLEAAASEE PLEAAASEEE leave a little comment / review and tell me what I did well (or not so well - I'm fully aware I butchered the Knux/Shad/Rouge scene).**


	3. Connection

chapter 3  
c o n n e c t i o n ;

* * *

'_Cause baby, you're a firework._

_C'mon, let your colors burst._

Cream groaned and rolled over onto her stomach. Her eyelids were heavy and when she cracked them open to test the morning light and it burned her chocolate orbs. She grunted and resealed her eyes shut and safe from the sunlight. Her body molded back into the shape on her bed, planting her face down on her feathered pillows and muffing her breathing from the outside world. She couldn't seem to fall back into her slumber, however, as the rest of the world was awakening; birds were tweeting outside her window, her mother was clanking pans in the kitchen and the sun was creeping in more and more between her blue curtains.

The bunny grumbled reluctantly and sat herself up, her bones creaking and locking into place. She gave a dreary yawn and glanced around her room wearily, inspecting the layout semi-paranoid; as a child she had been afraid of the dark and old habits died hard. Once deciding that there were no creatures of the night creeping around the faint shadows of morning in her bedroom she raised to her feet, wobbling sleepily. She felt like the living dead as she ambled over to her windows and shut her curtains, silently wishing that she had picked out thicker curtains.

"Cream, pancakes?" Vanilla called from downstairs. Cream sat down on her bed, curled her long legs around her and chimed out her reply. More clanking of pans echoed through the otherwise empty household.

Pawing at her cellphone, Cream leaned over and winced a little as her back cracked. She sat back up, back facing the wall with pillows cushioning her seat, and pressed a button; the little light flickered on and Cream instantly noticed she had a text. _Maybe it's Tails,_ she silently beamed. The corners of her mouth slid into an antsy smile until she realized that Tails hardly texted. He preferred phone calls. Hope shattered, she reluctantly read the message.

**Cream, Sonic's out for a run. Tails is home alone. You should bring him some donuts. (: The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach!**

**Amy**

It was times like this Cream found it hard to be angry at her big sister. The bunny couldn't help but feel a little betrayed at the notion. Why did Amy have to get everything? She had the beauty, the friends, the social life, the freedom, she almost had the guy... and she had Cream's guy. She remembered the way his attention was practically glued to the rosy rascal while she had tried to keep conversation with him. No matter what she did Tails couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from Amy and Sonic.

Still, it was probably the fact that Amy was clearly going out of her way to try and get him and her together. Amy was so clueless, she decided at once, and it wasn't just because she was unaware of Tails' newfound attention pointed at her. When the two best friends went out together Amy never noticed that all eyes were on her. She never noticed that when she'd walk by men would double take and stare, regardless if they were with their girlfriends or not. How could she not know?... _Oh, well, she never did notice when everyone stared at her like she had three heads or something when she was chasing Sonic. I guess Amy just choses what she wants to see and what she doesn't just goes right over her head, _she deducted.

Cream slid her phone into her pajama pant's pocket and stood herself up again. Long legs gliding across the room, the blossoming rabbit dawdled down the stairs and took a new seat at the kitchen table, taking a pit stop for a few seconds to kiss her mother's cheek. "Morning, mum."

Vanilla the Rabbit didn't look much different than she had when her daughter was 6, aside from a few telltale signs of aging. She didn't look much older; she didn't have any gray fur yet and the wrinkles were minor, but her eyes shone with years of experience and age, something that the only other female adult in Cream's life - Rouge - lacked. The woman was still as lovely as ever, and Cream couldn't help but hope that she'd look like her mom some day.

A plate with a set of pancakes was placed before her on the table. The child began eating politely and chewing with her mouth closed at once. Her mother smiled maternally. "Any plans today, Creamybear?"

The tween hued a little, her cheeks growing pinker and warmer the longer the pet name settled in. She silently prayed that her mom wouldn't call her that around Tails. "I might go visit Tails today," Cream informed nonchalantly, trying hard to not look too eager. She hadn't told her mom yet; the only person in the world Cream had officially told was Amy, and the bunny had an inkling that Amy had let Sonic know. Amy told Sonic everything.

Well... _almost_ everything. Cream gulped a little, swallowing her mouthful of pancake drenched in maple syrup. _I wonder when she's going to tell him about Shadow._

She mentally laughed. _Well, unless Amy wants an earful and to be shunned for the rest of eternity and then some she won't tell Sonic. She'll never hear the end of it, and neither will the rest of us. _

Vanilla beamed at her. "I like Tails, he's a good boy."

"I know, mom, you've told me," she began, pausing only to gulp down a sip of orange juice. "About... eight times. Per week."

"Well, he's a good kid," Vanilla grinned at her daughter mischievously. "He'd be a nice boyfriend for you. Don't you agree?"

Cream promptly spewed her orange juice out of her mouth and all over the table like a rocket. She then began choking and holding her chest, eyes wide and cheeks a magnificent scarlet color. "M-Me and Tails - no, never! I've never thought that..."

The elder rabbit handed the smaller one a roll of paper towels. Cream sighed and began to clean up her mess. Vanilla watched, amused, as Cream tried to soak up all of the juice with just one paper towel. Within moments it was supersaturated and she was pushing the damp, soggy paper towel around in a puddle of backwashed orange juice.

_She has to learn to do it by herself_, the mother reminded herself. She stepped back towards the stove to flip the remaining pancakes that were still being cooked.

"There's nothing wrong with liking a boy," she reasoned fondly. "Unless-"

Cream blushed harder. "Mom, I'm not into girls."

"I was just checking! There's nothing wrong with it, Creamybear-!"

"Well, I don't go that way, so can we _please_ not have this talk?" Cream honestly thought she was going to die of a terrible blend of awkwardness and embarrassment.

"So you _do_ like a boy," Vanilla simpered, advancing on her daughter.

There was no escape now. Cream knew it was time to come clean. It was either that or admit to having a massive crush on Amy, and Cream knew that she was a terrible liar; in fact, she had tried to lie about liking Tails mere moments ago and she had launched orange juice out of her mouth and across the table. "...Tails," she blushed again, struggling to finish cleaning up the orange evidence so she could escape to the safe confinement of her bedroom.

Before she could finish she was pulled into a warm, understanding hug. She knew her mom was moments away from positively gushing. Amy had gushed about it for a while after Cream first told her; it was something Amy and her mom had in common. When the three of them would go out to movies Cream would cry about the dying animals and her mother and Amy would bawl like lonely women when the couple got a happy ending. Once the hug was over she kissed the smaller rabbit's head maternally and smiled, handing her a plate of pancakes and taking the cleaning job over for her.

"Mom, wh-"

"Amy stopped over before you woke up," her mom's features warmed and softened in a lovely manner. She could tell how genuinely happy and proud she was of her for her first little crush. It sure was a good thing Vanilla didn't know that when Cream was 10 she had a crush on Charmy Bee. Vanilla might have cried.

"...So..."

"She told me she'd text you the plan," Vanilla grinned at her. "She's a sneaky girl, that child is."

And without another word, she continued to clean up the puddle of orange juice that was pulping and condensing on the table with the pancakes Cream had been eating. Her daughter stood there, dumbstruck, holding a plate of pancakes and blushing like a fool.

Cream groped around in her pocket for her phone and speedily typed out her response.

**Are pancakes a suitable replacement for donuts?**

**Cream

* * *

**

The way she moved said it all. She carried herself with such compassionate bravery that he couldn't help but stare a moment; it was a terrible idea, however, for as soon as his attention diverted from the incoming danger to her graceful beauty he was smacked in the face with a metal-plated shoe, compliments of one Rouge the Bat.

"Ah-!" he grunted and stumbled back, clutching his face within his mitts. He could taste a little blood. "Sheesh, watch it bat girl! Are you trying to kill me or something?"

She shifted her weight testily, sliding her hands down onto her voluptuous hips, her expression tetchy. "Well," she began, her voice already hinting that she was in her familiarly catty mood. It was either eat or be eaten in her world. He tried to pay more attention to her voice and not her red painted lips. "You're the one who came asking for a spar. Did you expect me to go easy? You should know by now that I never play nice, Knuxie," she purred the last word flirtatiously. He blushed reluctantly.

She was the only woman he knew that could turn him from angry to in pain to flustered in two point five. He didn't completely understand it; nothing that he had been taught while training to be a guardian helped him in the matter, either. All he knew was that it was dictated that thieving women were not to be trifled with, nor trusted. Still, he found it hard not to stare at her with the way she moved her hips as she walked. The only other girl he had watched preform that little flirty move was Amy, and he'd never felt so flustered and tempted to stare around her. That didn't make sense to him either, because Amy was also dangerous when crossed. There was just something about Rouge...

"Stop doing that... thing with your hips," he grunted, cracking his namesakes and wiping the blood away from his nose. "That's not fair, it's distracting."

"What, you don't like it when I do this?"

She then proceeded to shimmy her hips sensually. Red muzzled and possibly scarred for life, Knuckles looked away naively.

"No," he grunted, staring at the ground. "I don't. So don't do that."

Rouge rolled her eyes and strode over to her bag. She pulled out a water bottle and hydrated herself, tipping her head back and going all out to try and make herself look as positively attractive as possible. She glanced over afterward to inspect the damage and was disappointed to find that he was munching on some grapes, his attention far from Rouge's flirty moves.

Clearly, being pretty wasn't enough to distract Knuckles full time. The boy was oblivious and clearly knew nothing about women. She often forgot that Knuckles literally sat up on Angel Island all day and watched a giant green rock for a living. That was his job. That was his hobby. Saying that the Master Emerald was his wife was an understatement.

"Take a break, Knuxie," she purred, watching him with bemused eyes as he tried to open the water bottle she had gotten him. It was nearly impossible with those mitts of his. "Unless you need some help unscrewing that cap."

He sent her a startlingly nasty look. "I don't need your help."

"It looks like you do," she began to shoot back, her voice firm to match his sudden fierce tone. It was funny how quickly the mood between them flip-flopped. "You're not doing anything productive! Just take the damn gloves off-"

"Don't," he snapped. His violent eyes were sullen. For a moment, Rouge wondered if he'd cry. She quickly shot down the idea; Knuckles never struck her as the crying type. "Just mind your own business, bat girl."

She scoffed and folds her arms. What was his problem? They were just _gloves_, weren't they? He was making a big deal out of nothing. _Just shut up, swallow your pride, and take off the gloves! You're making a bigger fool out of yourself than you need to, knucklehead!_

It was bitterly silent between the two for a long time. Neither of them made an effort to apologize, for neither of them thought they were wrong. Stubborn didn't even begin to describe the two of them. Prideful, too.

Rouge was the first to snap. The lovely huntress scowled and stood up, her heels digging into the dirt underneath her. "You're a moron," she scowled audaciously. "You know damn well we can't stand each other, why would training be a good thing?"

His glare was unchanging. "Because we're strong in separate ways, and you know it."

His voice was deep and rumbled her core. It wasn't quite as dark as Shadow's but had a separate manliness about it, of a rugged wilderness man. She brutally hated that she was so turned on just by the way he spoke. Even though she knew it wasn't meant to be a full-out compliment, it still struck a nerve in her and filled her with an unnatural wasn't like she didn't already know she was proficient at fighting, so why...?

She turned away from him and began to collect her things. The small bag that she had carried on her back resumed it's position. "But we can't stand each other. Our personalities clash."

"You don't know how to be civil."

She snapped at him. "You're a dirty hobo!"

A new flame of rage sparked in his eyes. He was on his feet at once, yelling and screaming straight at her. She never budged. Obscurities flew from the mouths of both of them. They fought until their throats grew hoarse and their voices strained. They fought until they ran out of things to fight about. They fought until there was nothing left to say or do besides leave each other alone in a religious vow of silence.

Panting, hoping for breath to return for they both had wasted their best on insulting each other's pride. It was only with each other that this was a form of stress relief. Rouge already felt differently - she had to bite her tongue from screaming at him in frustration from her relationship with Shadow. She wanted to blame him for Shadow's chasteness but somehow managed to stop herself because she knew that wasn't fair to Knuckles. It wasn't his fault that Shadow didn't want to take things as fast as she did. Why would it be?

Perhaps it was the fact that even though she was with Shadow she found Knuckles awkwardly attractive; she found him sexy, even, which was odd because before they had basically ignored the other's existence. She didn't believe the dirty hobo bit - well, she did, but she didn't think he was a _dirty hobo_. More like... a man who lived on an island and protected a rock for a living. Was there a term for that?

"Fine..." Knuckles drifted off, seemingly exhausted from their fight. "We'll stop this. It was a dumb idea."

"Sure was."

He watched her carefully before looking back at the Master Emerald. Her eyesight followed his. _My, that __**is**__ a magnificent gem._

"Get off of my island, Rouge," he practically commanded, noticing her sudden distraction. Rouge rolled her eyes. He was way too protective of it. Sure, it was pretty, but she wouldn't steal it now that she knew it's what kept his island floating. Rouge was selfish but not _that_ selfish. She didn't want to wreck his home.

_Not when I know how it feels to be homeless_... she shook the thought at once.

"Whatever you say, Knuxie," she winked at him, strangling the crying child inside her chest. "I'll leave you and your wife be. Have a nice night with her! Don't rock her too hard."

The sound of angry shouting after her fleeting form brought a smile onto her face. If Knuckles was good for anything, it was lightening her mood.

* * *

"Hey baby, wanna come over here and have some fun?" "I'll let you ride me all night, doll."

"Hey, are you pink _all_ over?"

"I'll show you a better time than your little blue boyfriend can."

_What grease balls!_ The rosette thought as she strode by a group of men. They sneered at her, watching her walk with ravenous eyes. Their eyes scanned from her high heels to her rounded rump to her chest and then back down again. She frowned deeper as they completely skipped over her face. Amy Rose had never been known to be careful with what she said. Sharp tongued was just part of her character.

She spun around and stood there before them, hands planted on her curved hips in an attempt to look intimidating. The fact that her shoes made her legs look longer and more lissome and feminine than usual didn't help her case. The gang only grinned wider. "My eyes are up here, slime balls," she snapped, her voice firm. "I'm a minor, creeps. That's illegal."

"Well, the lady's a fighter!" the first man curled his lip. He walked up to her, towering over the petite female. It was clear right then and there who the intimidating was of the two. "I like them feisty."

"Do you also like them in their cribs?" she growled, her fur standing on end. She wasn't about to admit that she was starting to regret speaking her mind. Was she supposed to just let them objectify her? They were eating their hearts out! _I hate it when Sonic's right,_ she thought bitterly. _He always did say I was too assertive. Shadow said that, too..._

"If they have tits like yours, then yeah," he grinned at her and grabbed her by her arms. "I do."

"Let go of me," she spat right in his face in a moment of bravado. The audacious move costed her dearly; he gripped her arms tighter. Her bravery and courage was failing miserably. His hands contracted around her slim arms and she let out a frightened little squeak. "Leggo!"

"Not so high and mighty anymore, are we, pinky?" he grinned maliciously.

Amy squirmed and squeaked, trying her hardest to tear away from him, but he was a good foot taller than her and he had to be in his twenties. _Me and my big mouth!_ she internally scolded herself as she thrashed, trying to draw as much attention to herself as she could. Why had she decided to take the back way to her house again? Something about trying to find Sonic... Amy hadn't been able to find him around Station Square so she had drifted out and had struggled to find her way home.

She was dresses to impress, too - that was the worse part, because maybe if she was just in jeans and a teeshirt men wouldn't be treating her like a little sex toy. She was in white mini dress that was sleeveless and shaped her well. It was embellished with small red, green and blueish purple flowers. They were tiny and cute, just fun enough to be cute and mature enough to be worn by a sixteen year old girl. Her feet were decorated with bright red artsy pumps and she had intricate bangles on her wrists. A green and white ribbon was tied around her neck loosely.

His left hand raised and began to untie the ribbon around her neck. "You smell like strawberries..." he whispered huskily in her ear. She shuddered in response, eyes wide with terror. Sonic'd surely never want her if she was defiled by a group of creeps! He'd think her weak and useless, and he'd never want to have a child with someone who wasn't pure, she feared.

The rosy pink neck was exposed and the group of men around her began to encase closer. She let out a scream as she felt a pair of lips press against it. She flicked her wrist desperately, summoning her trusty Piko Piko hammer and swung at one of them. He grunted and fell back, but as she went to swing again the first guy grabbed it by the back of it's head and threw it aside. "Hey, give that back! - Whoa!"

One behind her picked her up by her shoulders, suspending her in midair and, essentially, away from her control. She kicked her legs and flailed, trying her best to knock him over and escape with her virtue but her hammer was too far for her to reach and this guy was much bigger than she was. Desperate to draw attention, Amy threw her head back, smashed it against his collarbone and let out a blood-curdling scream. It was answered, quite quickly, by a single gunshot. Instantly the men dispersed, fleeting from the scene with their tails between their legs. Shrieking, Amy was dropped to her rump on the sidewalk. She squeaked one final time.

She looked up once she was able to ignore the searing pain that was claiming her bottom. To no surprise to her at all, she found her savior was the only gun-wielding hedgehog she knew. "Shadow!" she brightened.

He shook his head at her as he zipped across the street. She was suddenly smiling a great deal more than she had been before hand. She grabbed his hand, even though he hadn't offered it, and pulled herself up to her feet. Amy wobbled a little before balancing on her heels. A grin replaced her sincere smile. "You always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Do you stalk me?"

"I probably should," he watched her, chuffing a little. "You get yourself in more trouble than faker does, I swear."

She giggled at him. "Not usually."

"Just whenever I happen to walk by?" he raised an eyebrow. "You haven't changed a bit since last year, Rose."

It wasn't entirely true. Since last year, Amy had gotten a smidgeon taller. Her quills were longer and resembled hair a little more. They reached to her mid back, just past her shoulder blades. The look made her seem older than she was; if one didn't know better they'd probably assume she was around 18. _She's always been pretty for her age, _he noted. Way too pretty. It was the entire reason the whole modeling thing worked for her. Above everything, Amy was definitely a pretty face. There was no question about it. She was sweet and cranky at times, but she was always pretty. It was an effortless quality about her.

Shadow's girlfriend was pretty in a different way. She was tall, curvaceous, alluring... Rouge had a certain ice queen quality about her. She was a bombshell. She was the woman that all of the men wanted to get in bed with. Rouge had that ritzy sort of beauty. Amy was a youthful kind of belle. She had bright eyes, a slim build (for the most part - she was still curvy in the right places, more-so than most girls her age) and pastel pink. Rouge was the type of girl to wear bright red lipstick and seduce men into something they'd regret. Amy was young and pretty and was determined to be the girl of only one man - probably the only guy in the world that she couldn't have.

She smiled at him wisely. "Not true, I grew a cup size!"

"Need to know basis, Amy. Need to know basis," he visibly twitched. "I don't want to know about your breasts."

Amy shrugged and giggled at him, hand still wrapped around his. She began to tug him down the sidewalk; the neon lights above her creeped her out to a point and even though she felt safe while in Shadow's presence the memory of those guys all over her still brought nervous shudders up and down her spine.

Shadow noticed her sudden change in mood. "Are you sure you're alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

The rosette knelt over, picked up her trusty Piko Piko and hid it away. He often wondered where she kept such a thing. "I'm fine, they didn't..."

The look on her face said it all; Amy had been hoping to take them on by herself and was embarrassed to have been found helpless. It was a personal goal of Amy's to stop being the damsel all of the time and start being a hero. Last summer she told him that when they were at the beach; he was dressed from head to toe in black and she was wearing a red bikini top and a matching skirt. It only further proved the depth of their relationship that she had trusted him with such an inner desperation.

He snapped back to reality. "You should be more careful. Don't pick fights."

"They were objectifying me," he pouted.

He ruffled her hair a little, earning a semidisproving squeak from the younger female. "Put some damn clothes on," he suggested. It was as good natured as you could get from someone like Shadow.

"That's what Sonic said," she pouted. "I told him to keep his eyes to himself."

Something about the way her cheeks reddened and she smiled after told him that she wasn't as upset with Sonic noticing her growth as she implied.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so desperate for attention."

She squealed a little and shoved him playfully. Shadow looked at her; her eyes were wild with amusement and her sullen mood seemed to have evaporated in her peridots. She was ready to move on. It was part of what made him love her - her ability to look past the bad and get straight to the good. She was an optimist, where as he was a pessimist. He took the shove and didn't bother to fight back. It wasn't in his nature to push a girl. Shadow would destroy armies and blow up everything in his sight to get what he came for, but he'd never hurt her. Not his little sister.

"I. Am. Not. Desperate!" she punctuated each word with a soft punch to the chest. Shadow stood there and took it, watching her with bemused ruby eyes. Amy Rose was strange, and though he had a certain fondness for her he'd never understand her. Rouge didn't have strange quirks like this; Rouge was good about hiding her feelings, and that was difficult in it's own way. Amy wore her heart on her sleeve. It was obvious what she felt at all times.

He grabbed her fist with impressive reflexes. "Are you quite done?"

Her cheeks were flushed. "Don't call me desperate."

He patted her head, releasing her fist. They shared a warm glance that could be read ambiguously. Amy went to speak but no more words were exchanged between the two of them; the sound of someone clearing their throat tore them both from their little staring moment. They turned to see Sonic there watching them, wearing an expression appropriate of being clubbed over the head. Amy gave a squeak and took a step back from Shadow at once, looking progressively guilty. She avoided Shadow's eye. _She hasn't told him yet...? Well of course not. Is she ashamed of dating me last year?_

"Yo," he greeted, holding his hand up limply. "What's uh... going on?"

"Sonic!" Amy squeaked, dawdling over to him and capturing him in a hug. He was tense between her arms. She bit her lip and snuggled herself into his lean chest, looking at Shadow from the corner of her eyes with an unreadable expression. He had no clue what she was trying to say. "Shadow was just.."

"I was just making sure she didn't get lost. Your little girlfriend has no sense of direction, faker."

Amy blinked in surprise. _Did Shadow just lie for me? Awh~ Oh, that's right, I told him at the beach last year before we shared our first kiss that I didn't want to be a damsel anymore. I think even then he knew I was talking about how I wanted to impress Sonic. I was such a terrible girlfriend..._

Sonic patted Amy's back awkwardly, hating how his cheeks tinted at her closeness. He felt unreasonably upset. What was it about the way Shadow and Amy had looked at each other that made him so mad? They didn't look too particularly romantic, and it wasn't like he had caught them sucking face... _but even so, why would I care? Amy's NOT my girlfriend, and she never will be,_ he told himself stubbornly. He pried away from Amy's grasp. She gave a little sad moan, ears folding over just slightly.

The blue blur glanced at her. She was watching him with those green eyes of hers; even when he was acting like a complete loser, overcome with feelings he didn't understand she still cared about what he thought. He looked away, overwhelmed.

She took another step towards him anyways. Just by being close to him she felt warm and fuzzy. He was just _so_ dreamy; he looked nicer than usual today. Khakis, a white and red baseball tee, red soap shoes... she loved how he looked in that teeshirt. He let her see his arms and it was tight around his firm, lean chest. He had such a runner's build. She had to restrain herself from squeezing the stuffing out of the man.

Sonic stared at Shadow. "Thanks for the thought, but she's not my girlfriend," he nudged her head toward her. "She might think she is, but she isn't."

Amy visibly shattered. She gave a loud scoff and pushed past Sonic, her shoulder bumping against his. Sonic spun around from the impact of her shove and both boys stared after her. It was clear to Shadow that she was trying to keep her composure - it was clear to Sonic that she was just being overdramatic Amy again. The clicking sound of her heels hitting the concrete was proof that she was distancing herself. Both watched her with sore eyes (for _very_ different reasons). Once she was far enough away Sonic turned and glared at Shadow full on. "Don't touch her."

"Don't hurt her," he countered back. "Faker."

"Who said I was hurting her?"

"You just did, dumbass," Shadow was known to have a sailor's mouth. "Maybe if you'd get your head out of your ass and give her a chance-"

"So you want me to date her even though I don't love her? What good will _that_ do?" Sonic stormed over to him, looking miffed. Shadow internally wondered why he was being such a hypocrite.

"You mean like the way you slept with all of those women?" he taunted; there was something about picking at Sonic's feelings that made him feel whole again. He had an undying need to defend the girl he considered his younger sister. Tormenting the blue hedgehog was Shadow's favorite hobby, sans blowing things up. "You really hurt her that time. She came to my house _crying_-"

"Shut up," he growled. His emerald orbs held fury. Sonic had always been hot tempered, and this was no excuse. "Shut up! At least my girlfriend isn't banging Knuckles."

"You shut up about Rouge, you don't know anything."

"Don't I?" Sonic grinned maliciously at him. They were close enough to one another to choke each other. Both were very tempted.

"GUYS!"

They both turned, almost bonking heads. Only Shadow's impeccable reflexes saved them from that embarrassing fate. Ruby and emerald met the sight of an irritable looking pink hedgegirl, hands on her hips and feet planted firmly on the ground. Her left foot tapped against the ground expectantly. Her shriek caught their attention quite adeptly. Of course, the two of them had a well tuned ear for her voice. They both let out a guilty "whaaaat?". They could tell she wasn't in the mood for their foolishness. She looked impressive for a girl of her petite stature.

She held out both her hands, palm out. "C'mere."

Reluctantly and fending off the urge to shove one another, the two hedgeboys toddled over to the female. She grabbed one of each of their hands; their reactions were different. Shadow cocked an eyebrow at her, seemingly used to her quirky nature of grabbing and tugging him along (as he should - she treated him like a rag doll for months last year). Sonic turned a faint scarlet and noticed quite obsessively that she laced fingers with him and only cupped hands with Shadow. A nervous sort of pride filled him, his cocky nature returning. Just this once he could stand to hold her hand if it meant bettering Shadow. He was still her favorite.

And then she gave one last final tug. They both toppled forward. Sonic tripped and landed with his face on her shoulder, dangerously close to the crook of her neck. Her fur was soft and smelt of sugary strawberries. Shadow had never seen him blush harder before, and neither had Amy; both were humored by his reaction, but it was Amy that smiled warmly at the now bumbling blue blur.

"Get along, you two," she cooed warmly, her eyes solely on Sonic. He felt tiny beneath her gaze. She gave his hand a squeeze and then turned their entourage around. "Or else I won't make you guys dinner!"

"Awh, but AMES-!"

"Then get on your best behavior, Sonic!" she beamed at him.

Shadow wasn't sure how he managed to get tugged along as the third wheel on their little flirt fest. It was dreadfully obvious to him that even though Amy had dated other people she wasn't over her first flame and that Sonic felt just as strongly about her (if not more - the possessive glances he kept giving her and the death glares he was sending to every other man in the premiss furthered his suspicion). Nonetheless, his hand remained cupped with the lovely rosette's, and that was that. She threw him a sweet smile and winked.

* * *

**Alright, I've finally updated~! Sorry, I was planning on updating on Valentine's Day (or Single's Awareness Day, depends on what mood you're in!) but this chapter was a doozy... I flew right through the first scene with Cream and Vanilla but lagged on the Knuckles/Rouge scene and that last scene was about 1,800 words longer than I had planned. Oh, oops... It's alright, I'm **_**almost**_** happy with how it turned out. **

**The plot thickens from here on out. More characters intermingle than just the person the share romantic intentions with - Amy isn't just Sonic's little lover in this, she's also got friendship ties and romantic ties (if you can count past relationships as such). I do plan on furthering Rouge and Sonic's relationship, however, as they don't seem to talk to each other much, and I think you'll find it interesting...**

**If you know me, you shouldn't be too worried about the Shadow/Amy interactions. Just know this; they do love each other. Just... maybe not in the way you all think? (; **

**It had to happen, alright? Paranoid!Sonic is like MOTHER'S MILK for me. It's so much fun, oh my gosh~ especially when he denies having feelings for her and then STILL proceeds to hate every man in her life that's too close. **

**Rouge is still frustrated with Shadow. Knuckles is just frustrated with women in general. Living alone as a man on a floating island will do that to you.**

**I think I'm going to continue with the review thing. If you've read this all the way through, put 'Candied Karma' somewhere in your review! (If you're a longtime fan of me you might recognize what that's from!) PLEAASEEE review, even if it's a critique. I need feedback more than I need paranoid!Sonic~**


	4. At the seams

Chapter 4  
a t ; t h e ; s e a m s

* * *

Shadow's idea of a good time was not double dating with Sonic and Amy.

He felt Rouge cross her legs; he could tell because her foot brushed against his thigh. She sent him a flirty glance, eyelids lowered. The seductive bat had painted her eyelids pink instead of her usual blue. It contrasted well against her white fur. She was dressed in a saucy hot pink shirt, tight darkwash jeans and black high heeled boots. She picked at her salad and then rested her cerulean orbs back on the blue hedgehog, who was currently complaining.

Sonic was sitting on the same side as the rosy rascal, staring at his third cup of soda. He gave a low grunt and pushed the cup away from him. Amy eyed him carefully, peridot orbs resting on him and him alone. After all, she had been the one who shoved Sonic into the inside of the booth because she wanted to sit with him. Amy could be very assertive when she wanted to be, and she wasn't afraid to show it on most occasions.

"If I drink any more soda, I swear I'm going to explode," the blue blur groaned, leaning back in his seat in the booth and holding his swollen stomach. He moved it in a circle and after a few more rotations he belched. Next to him, Amy curled her rosy lips into a disgusted frown. "Ahh, that's better."

Amy rolled her eyes at him and twirled her fork in her pasta. "Ask the waiter to stop bringing you so much soda, silly."

"I tried," he pouted childishly and leaned his head on Amy's shoulder. Her muzzle steadily hued to match her pink fur as she tried to play it off and continue to eat her lunch. "I think he's too busy staring at you to pay attention to how much soda he's piling into me. I'm gonna have a heart attack from all this caffeine-"

"Oh, boo," she giggled. "You have a hummingbird heart, you should be fine. If you can run at the speed of sound and not go into cardiac arrest, I think you can drink three cups of soda."

He belched again. She squirmed away from his head. "Four cups of soda."

Rouge nudged her acclaimed love interest and winked, pivoting her head towards the two cotton candy colored hedgehogs. Sonic was laughing at her and had his mouth wide open, breathing his soda-inked breath over into her half of the booth and earning himself a squealing Amy. The pinkette swatted at his arm and folded her arms, turning away and playfully ignoring the coy looking boy behind her. _Look,_ Rouge seemed to be saying without words. Her sapphire orbs flickered over to the pair. _Amy's not as alone as she thinks she is_.

Of course, Shadow had always had an inkling that he was more fond of her than he let on. There were times when the two were them were off on missions together and Sonic would stare off into space for long periods of time. He had suspected it had been Amy his mind was on - after all, there hadn't been any other girl he was serious about at the time (it was during Sonic's "wild faze", when he had just slept with dozens of women; any girl who was available, really, aside from miss Rose). Shadow had always just assumed that clandestinely Sonic's heart was never in his romantic affairs with those girls. He was quite sure at the time that he was only doing that to reassure himself that he wasn't falling hard for a younger girl; his biggest fan, at that, who at that age hadn't known very many boundaries. It was bad for his reputation and, at the time, the age difference between the two of them may have been received as immoral, judging by the fact that he was having very open sexual relations at the time.

"Faker," Shadow muttered under his breath. Because of that one fatal mistake of allowing himself to try and push away stubborn feelings for her he may have drove a stake between them permanently. Shadow knew, after all - he had dated Amy during the fiasco. She had always tried to play it off like she wasn't bothered by the news, but when Shadow had found her crying her little heart out in the bed and cursing the world for letting her be born so late...

Sonic's olive orbs snapped over. "Don't call me a faker, faker!"

Not only did the whole thing turn Amy against her feelings for him (possibly), it really just had Shadow lose any respect that he may have held for Sonic. Shadow pointedly looked away from him and sipped on his water. He would have retaliated but Rouge had captured his knee in a vise grip as soon as the f word had escaped his lips and he _sort of_ needed his knee for racing the blue buffoon later.

"Now now, boys," Rouge half teased, half reasoned, "play nice. This is a double date, we should be having a nice time and not trying to break each other in half."

"Whoa whoa whoa, this is _not_-" he pointed to the space between Amy and him "-a date, got it? This is a friendly lunch between two good friends, this is _strictly_ platonic."

Amy gave him a pout. Her greens bored into his and his mouth drew down a little before he fastening the space between his lips. It was clear to the ebony and ivory bystanders that Sonic was remaining firm on his decision to burn down any sliver of hope Amy had that this was actually a romantic outing for the two of them. Cheeks flushed, she broke the gaze and stared down at her lap.

It was awkwardly silent for a long while. Rouge pursed her rain painted lips. "So, I met up with that Knucklehead and he refused to take his gloves off. What do you think's going on there?"

Her topic change was welcomed by Sonic brightly. Anything that brought his thoughts away from the girl sitting beside him usually was welcomed with warm, open arms. "I bet he hasn't washed his hands in ages!"

Amy looked between the two of them, jaw dropped in utter horror. "You two are _horrible!_" she snapped, standing up and smoothing her skirt down quickly. A boy from the next booth over eyed her very obviously. Shadow reached over and smashed his face down into his girlfriend's plate of pasta. "Do you really think he just stuck something hard in his gloves and tied it to his hands? He's probably self conscious over it!" she glared at them and then moved her vision over to Sonic directly. "You disgust me."

"Has he told you?" Rouge asked curiously. "Aw, Sonic, your girlfriend's been sleeping around as much as you have!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" he defended, flushing. "And she's never slept around, she's too young for that! Give the kid a break, Rouge."

Said "child" was staring at him so pointedly he felt the need to cower away from her line of sight. He couldn't tell if she was disappointed in him or pleased that he was defended her; he assumed that it was a fine brew of both feelings. She seemed to have swallowed her bottom lip, holding back an onslaught of insults and pent up emotions. She had spent her entire life barricading her betrayed thoughts from him. She was his rock, and Amy knew that was the one thing he was sure he appreciated about her.

The rosette sat back down next to him and didn't say another word. Her peridot eyes were clouded with indecision. She crossed her legs politely and womanly, her bare pink stems looking slender and ladylike. He tried not to stare too long at her lower half too much. Their eyes met for an electrifying moment and they stared. She was scorning him without words. Her eyes seemed to be doing all the talking for them.

He wasn't going to pretend that she didn't look appealing. The petite female was dressed in a long sleeved black and white stripped shirt with a high-waisted red skirt. The skirt ended high on her legs, but she was already quite accustomed to wearing short skirts anyhow. She had on a tasteful red necklace that was adorned with a single rose. On her feet she wore a cute pair of black flats with wedge heels that made her legs look more shapely and womanly than her age should have permitted.

_Well, no,_ he thought. _She is almost seventeen; I've seen seventeen year olds before._

The blue blur caught sight of the people at the table opposite them from the corner of his eye. It was a group of teenage boys, maybe a little older than Amy herself. They were laughing about something that teenagers of the girl gender probably wouldn't find too amusing and eying Amy, gawking. It was like they had never seen a beautiful girl before. Sonic grumbled to himself and slid down in his seat, looking at the group of men vehemently. Amy wasn't _that_ pretty, couldn't they keep their eyes to themselves? Besides, couldn't they see that she was sitting next to _him_, Sonic the Hedgehog? **The** Sonic the Hedgehog?

It was apparent that Amy was aware of the attention she was receiving as well. The rosette sent her longtime crush a teasing smile, the corners of her lovely lips curled up just slightly enough to let him know that everything she was going to do about her little fanboys was to spite him. She extended her legs, stood to her full petite height and strode over to the table. Her hips swayed slightly from side to side, making Sonic practically gnaw the top half of his straw off and swallow it whole.

Shadow and Rouge exchanged looks as Amy was invited to sit with the boys. They mirrored a certain desire to get out of there, though Rouge appeared to want to see how it played out. It was apparent to her beau that the female bat was both impressed with and proud of Amy. After all, teasing and playing the jealous card was Rouge's forte. Maybe the two of the girls had bonded while Shadow and Sonic had been racing one another.

Sonic coughed up the straw he had mutilated and grunted. "What does she think she's doing?" he asked to no one in particular. It was his own way of venting and dealing with the situation at hand.

Rouge purred her response. "Looks like she's finally going to get some. Good for her, her virginity was almost getting disgusting at this point."

Both Sonic and Shadow seemed offended; Shadow because he was also still a virgin for moral reasons and found Amy's pureness morally correct and Sonic... well, even Sonic didn't exactly know why he found Rouge mocking Amy's purity annoying. Was it because he had spent so long defending her that she had grown on him? Was she like his little sister, like Shadow had always said about her? The two of them had been close for a while...

He thought nothing of their close friendship, however. Shadow may have been old fashioned and brutal at times but he didn't mess with women, especially girls that reminded him of Maria. Amy and Rouge were the top contenders for that category, though from what he heard about the two girls he had no idea what he saw that resembled the blonde in Rouge. Rouge wasn't exactly innocent and pure... she was a thief, a double agent and a liar. She was promiscuous. It wasn't like he disliked the bat, because Sonic respected her in a way. She was a strong woman who could hold her own against men. She was a fierce fighter and amazingly clever. She was also intensely beautiful. Just going by that, it was obvious why Shadow was with her.

_But, with her faults coming into the equation too..._ Sonic eyed her for a moment as the flirtatious lady leaned further on Shadow's arm. The ebony hedgeboy appeared awkward. _I don't see how that's going to work out if they can't agree on PDA. Or affection in general, actually._

The blue speedster hardly noticed the two of them for the rest of the time Amy was flirting herself silly. He tried to focus his attention on something - anything - besides the rosy rascal that had chased him for so long. It didn't seem like reality to him, like the fact that Amy was tossing her slender quills over her soft pink shoulder and sending the smiles that were reserved for him across the table to another boy was myth, even though he was witnessing it. Seeing was believing, so maybe if he didn't look...

She returned to home base with a satisfied subtle curl of her lips pressed across her face. She was clearly repressing a victorious smile; she knew she had bothered Sonic. It was written all over his face. And, for the first time, it felt good to upset him. It felt good knowing that he wanted to rip the faces off of the boys she was chatting with. Leading on the boys wasn't something she would have done had Sonic not recently denied having any feelings towards her whatsoever. He barely regarded her return as reason to raise his eyes from one of his many glasses of soda. The rosette leaned over, her face closer to his than it had ever been and she pressed her lips near the base of his ear. The sensation of her breath pitter-pattering across his sensitive ear made passion spread across his chest in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. And, with her voice low, she whispered in his ear: "payback's a bitch."

It was like she had forgotten Shadow and Rouge were still at the table with them. Her lips lowered from his ear and she returned to her original position in the booth, albeit closer to him than the last time. Her arm brushed against his and he felt goosebumps erupt along his tender limb. He hadn't said anything yet; his mind was too busy whirling around a thousand thoughts a minute and he swallowed anything he might have been willing himself to say dryly. Nothing more was said between the hedgehog almost-couple for the rest of the lunch.

When goodbyes were exchanged outside the restaurant (after a run in with their waiter, Jon, who had attempted to hook Sonic up with some soda to go) Sonic refused to look Amy in the eye. He gave her a gentle flick of his hand in the form of a wave and then vanished in a long streak of cobalt blue.

Amy's expression darkened in sure time. The further away Sonic got the more upset Amy grew. She looked fierce, the couple noticed, and though a look of anger wasn't a natural expression on her face they had grown to know it. It was funny... as strong as the expression was Amy still managed to look mind numbingly adorable. Perhaps that was why Sonic had spent so long angering her.

"He's obnoxious," she spat. "And so full of himself!"

Rouge stretched her wings; now that they were unconfined she could do so safely. "You're just catching on to that now, pinky?"

The rosette frowned deeper. The anger had left her face and left her with just sadness; the look of melancholy was the very look Sonic hated so much to see on her doll-like face. It was ironic that it was always him that brought the foul mood upon her. "I don't know why it's so hard for him to admit that he likes me... even so, he could just give me a straight answer instead of mixed signals!" she vented, placing her hands on her lady hips and pacing back and forth twice.

On her third rotation Shadow grabbed her slender, thin shoulder. She gazed at him. "He's not worth it, move on," he spoke honestly. Rouge gave a nod from behind him. Normally she didn't give a damn about Amy or Sonic, but their constant game of cat and mouse was tiring.

Amy slid Shadow's gloved hand off of her shoulder and mustered up a small smile. It was saccharine in essence, and the ebony hedgeboy knew it. "He's the one, Shadow. I can't just 'move on'. You'll understand when you find the one too."

Rouge gave an impolite cough. It went ignored, however, for both hedgehogs were locked in a stare down. Shadow seemed to be trying to uncover what she really meant and Amy was searching for a sense of respect and understanding. Amy continued on anyways. "No other boy makes me feel the way he does... maybe you'll understand someday."

* * *

"Bro!"

The blue hedgehog waltzed into the kitsune's kitchen and promptly took a considerable bite out of a blueberry muffin that was sitting in a basket on the table. The basket looked intricately woven and adorned with blue and purple ribbons, laced along and tied into an adorable looking bow on the top of the handle. The blue blur raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know Tails was into these kinda things..."

"H-He isn't, I made it," a feeble voice squeaked.

Sonic jumped a mile, as if he was finally realizing Cream's presence. She was standing by the very same table he was, a muffin in her hands as well. She was dressed in a sweet powder-white sundress with the straps of a pink swim suit beetling from under the fabric. Sonic took a long moment to look her over, impressed by her sudden growth spurt; she was taller than Amy already by far. He threw away the thought as soon as the 'A-Word' came along.

He forced a grin and scratched at the back of his head in his typical manner. "Oh... that'd make a lot more sense."

She nodded sweetly and sat her muffin down in the dent where Sonic had stolen his. The little pile of muffins in the basket looked perfect, and somewhere deep down Sonic had an inkling that Cream had spent more than enough time positioning them. Tails wouldn't care much about how nice they looked. If anything, Sonic knew his little brother would just be happy that Cream had baked for him period. It reminded him of when Amy was younger; she would often bake him cakes and cookies in hopes of stealing his heart away. If anything, she stole his stomach away... was it possible that Cream had gone to her older sister for advice on boys? If so, Tails was in for a long ride...

"...wait," he grinned. "Cream, are you crushin' on Tails?"

He had never seen the fawn shaded rabbit blush brighter. Her muzzle was coated with a cherry red hue. Her warm chocolate eyes instantly bore down to her feet, staring so intensely at her cute little toes Sonic was afraid one might combust into flames. They never did, however, and eventually Cream gained the courage to give a little nod in answer to his question. There would be no denying it after being so thoroughly embarrassed about it. "D-Don't tell him, please mister Sonic!"

"Fine, fine... I won't, as long as you drop the mister," he grinned at her and patted the top of her head, messing up her hair, which was tied up in a neat bun. "You make me feel like a gramps, sheesh."

She cracked a tiny smile and scuffed the ground with her sandals. "Amy said boys like it when you cook for them..."

An arm was wrapped around the nervous bunny in a heartbeat and Sonic was giving her a cheerful one armed hug. The point of the squeeze was to reassure her of her feelings and not to shy away from coming out with it so much. Maybe he was too used to seeing girls like Amy and Rouge, who made their feelings fairly clear. Rouge was pretty obvious with the men she flirted with, and no other girl did it quite like Amy. All of Station Square knew that Amy was crushing on him hard. She was guilty of chasing him around the town and screaming his name, her cute little hand outstretched towards him determinedly.

"Aw, I can hear her now-" Sonic's voice hitched up an octave, and he continued in an exaggerated lady voice. "_The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach!_"

And then, as if to prove his point, he proceeded to run his stomach in a circular motion with his free arm. Cream gave a nervous little giggle as he massaged and stroked his stomach. When she didn't respond anymore he took the initiative and rubbed her stomach softly. It was a purely platonic gesture and not sexual in nature at all. Regardless, she burst into stronger, school girl giggles.

Footsteps entered the premiss and before either of them could move Tails had reentered the house. He looked at the situation before him oddly with one eyeridge propped up. Sonic had his arm around a red cheeked Cream and had his hand rubbing against her slim stomach. His older brother was wearing the same silly expression he used to wear when he was teasing Tails himself back in the old days.

"...What's going on?" he asked. He looked confused, and Cream couldn't help but think he looked handsome with a smudge of grease along his white furry cheeks. He must have been working on his plane while she arranged her gift on the kitchen table.

Sonic laughed easily and released Cream. She shied away from him, looking as if she was caught red handed. "Oh, ya know, just harassing the youth."

"Sure looks like it," he managed out. Sonic raised an eyebrow and removed his hand from Cream's slender stomach; it didn't even faze the hero that the scene may have looked suggestive at all. Especially with his infamous reputation with the ladies as of late. Tails shrugged it off and didn't think much of it. He knew Sonic better than that. His sapphire orbs fell on the basket of muffins on the table. "Sonic, did you go out to the market, or...?"

"Nah, you're little lady friend here made them specially for you," Cream couldn't believe it. Sonic was making a fool out of her! Oh, she could feel her face simply roasting with a stubborn blush. It only got worse when Tails sent her a sincere thank-you cheer and dug into the muffin basket right away.

She watched him intently; she cared way too much about how he reacted to her cooking. If Amy's theory really was valid then this was paramount. If he hated it she was sure to shrivel up and die. Thankfully, his eyes sparked brighter at the taste of her home cooking and her spirits soared. He _liked_ it! He smiled again for her and gave her a big thumbs up, indicating his enjoyment of the gift thoroughly.

His attention was re-aimed at the grinning blue hero that had seated himself near the fawn-shaded girl. "Wait, why are you home so soon? Weren't you out with Amy?"

"I plead the fifth," he replied quickly. The kitsune inspected the expression; there was nothing blithe about his expression. The idea that the "date" with Amy didn't go as expected should have brought worry to the younger brother but he couldn't help, guiltily, feeling immense relief. Maybe Amy Rose wasn't as much of a distraction as Tails had initially hypothesized.

Out of nowhere, Cream gave a squeaky, nervous giggle and brushed past Tails as she trotted out. Both the boys turned to watch her go, her long, cute ears flopping behind her mischievously. Both boys raised an eyeridge at her as she exited suddenly.

After the awkward moment had passed, Sonic turned to his kid brother. "Any ideas why she just juiced on us?"

The fox boy shrugged. "I honestly haven't a clue."

He shook it off quite well and made another grab for a muffin. "I mean, I've never really understood the complex infrastructure that is the female mind. It's the one thing science has never fully explained to me... especially girls at Cream's age."

Sonic laughed and plopped down on the sofa, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. "Trust me, little buddy, they don't get any less confusing as they age. In fact, I think girls get progressively more confusing until they reach liiike... death."

The worse part was although Tails knew his brother wasn't being completely honest about this accusation, the kitsune didn't doubt the truth in the statement. Judging from the few girls he knew well (being Amy and Cream), neither of them were particularly understandable. In fact, Cream had gotten more confusing as she reached her early teenhood. The lady hedgehog had always been a little quirky and moody, but Cream was picking up more and more of her elder sister's traits. The bunny had yet to begin chasing boys around, but if she continued to pick up after Amy it was in the foreseeable future.

Sonic patted his shoulder; the brotherly pat reassured him of any nervous feelings concerning girls and their ever changing emotions.

"She's pretty cute, though, innshe', bro?"

There was a certain devious glint in Sonic's green orbs. "Uuh," the kitsune was probably blushing. "Yeah, she's pretty... don't tell me she's your next conquest."

"I am _not_ a pedophile!" the hedgeboy looked mildly offended. "She's way too young for me bro, 'sides, a little birdy told me she's got a thing for you."

"...Oh."

Sonic's grin was almost unbearable. Never in their relationship had the subject of girls been brought up in this way; it was inverted, almost. Sonic would often tell Tails about what he found attractive in the girls he sprung with (especially during his "wild faze"), but Sonic hadn't often teased him about girls. Especially when they were younger, Knuckles would question Sonic's feelings towards Amy and Tails would laugh along, but never had anyone questioned _his_ feelings for any girls. The exception would have been Cosmo, but they never brought her up to him anymore... after all, there was still a sore spot concerning her...

"Go for it! Don't you want a cute girlfriend?" Sonic flashed him a thumbs up.

The younger boy couldn't bring himself to take the hero's advice; who was he to advise him to go for it when he had spent years from a potential cute girlfriend? He had flung with a bunch of trashy women; Amy was wholesome and sweet and growing into a beautiful young woman, and yet Sonic still couldn't find it in him to completely come clean with his feelings for her. He always preached that their relationship was platonic at best, but still Tails had his suspicions. Even though he was hazy on Sonic finally coming out with his feelings for the rosette, for it would drive a spike in their friendship and make him even more distant and hard to acquire than usual, his hypocrisy was blazingly obvious.

"...I'll think about it," Tails said in a very brusque manner. "Maybe. I have to go test out the tornado, do you want to come?"

The blue blur gave a whoop and pulled his 'little buddy' into a brotherly headlock. "Now we're talking!"

* * *

Her cheeks were so warm she was sure they would leave permanent burn marks along her delicate muzzle. The vibrant pink and red hues painted across her pale fur and skin like a tell-tale giveaway of her feelings, her innermost emotions. Why did she have to be so easy to figure out? Even Sonic, who was more oblivious to his own feelings than anyone she knew could tell that she was crushing on Tails!

She scampered as fast as her skinny legs would take her. She wished she was prettier like Amy. She wished her legs were more shapely and she wished she had prettier eyes; brown eyes, how dreadful and _boring_. Nobody found brown eyes that pretty, they were like mud puddles. Why couldn't she be cute and petite like Amy? Why couldn't she be bright eyed and outgoing like her? How come every time Cream herself tried to be flirtatious and steal away his heart she chickened out at the last minute? Ugh, love! Love love love! Why couldn't she get this _right?_

Amy had boys falling at her feet. Amy was so _pretty_ that she was on magazine covers and TV commercials and it seemed like even Sonic was falling for her charm. Rouge was a sex goddess, and nobody questioned that fact. What did that make her, the quiet little girl with good intentions?

She burst down the grassy path and practically beat Amy's door down with her open hand. She didn't even know if Amy was home at the moment, she just needed someone to talk to.

"Amy! AmyAmyAmy!" she cried; she was scarcely aware of the tears streaming down her face. She felt her voice raise an octave. It was another trait about herself that niggled her: her voice got high and squeaky again whenever she cried.

When there was no immediate answer at the door she grew weary. The summer sun was bold and bright above her, like an obnoxious luminous glow that was like a bad itch. It wasn't cheering her up in the slightest. If anything, it was making her warmer and more irritable; her emotions were getting the best of her again and it was that very moment she hated being a young teenager. Bolting from her place, she dashed around the side of her house, dragging her slim fingers across the walls of Amy's home. Once she reached the back of the house she peeked in through the back window, using her hands like visors to better peek inside.

_Oh, where is she? She's not out with Sonic anymore, he's already back at Tails'_, she thought, frustrated. Why was it every time she didn't need Amy she was around, but when she really needed a crying shoulder she was no where to be found? Maybe all those years of trailing after a certain blue-furred boy had finally begun to morph her.

When Tails was around, so was Amy; it was impossible to keep the boy's attention when he was too busy staring to Amy so fiercely that Cream was afraid her best friend would combust into flames. Staring into her reflection in the window, Cream tilted her head; surely it wasn't that he didn't find her ugly... she may not have been physically mature like Amy and Rouge, but she was still cute, as Sonic had said. She pouted cutely into her reflection and used the back of her hand to wipe the stray tears from her doe eyes.

The steady clicking of heels on the stone walkway stole her attention at once. Scrambling to compose herself, she peeked her head around the side of the house and caught sight of a stream of pink, ribbony trusses. The bunny scampered around the corner and, tears welling again, threw her arms around the older female and succumbed to a pathetic mewl in her older sister's chest.

The rosette gave a shocked gasp; she stumbled backwards and caught the young teenager in her arms skillfully. She could see the redness of Cream's muzzle, the sheer embarrassment left over from her encounter with Sonic and Tails. It was practically exploding off of her and into the air. She could almost smell it. The rascal brought her soft hand along the small of Cream's back and stroked from there to her shoulder blades in a comforting manner. Gingerly, she asked what was wrong.

For a while Cream couldn't bring herself to answer. She was too busy crying for all of her insecurities and doubts. It felt better just to be in the arms of someone who had always been proud and supportive; though Tails' feelings toward Amy was still a mystery to her and she couldn't help but feel vehemently jealous at moments Amy was still helpful, and Amy was always piping up with ideas for stealing Tails' heart the very same way she had attempted to do for Sonic not so long ago.

She was jealous and upset. She was angry and she was sad. In all honesty, Cream was a train wreck at that moment. All of those early teenhood hormones had finally gotten to her, despite her mother's best efforts and all of those typical girlhood insecurities were pouring out into Amy's soft chest.

"I... and Tails..." she mewled, finally. "I'm so embarrassed!"

* * *

**I FINALLY UPDATED!**  
...and I don't even have much to say that's relevant. xD; I'm sorry for the long wait period, I had finished the chapter and then lost half of it and ragequitted for a while. I'm back, though, with ideas and I'm rearing to go~

Originally, in the first scene, Amy was supposed to have stormed off on them after the Knuckles crack. Something about Sonic having the audacity to sleep with every girl but her... and then Rouge and Shadow left, and Sonic was left to think about his feelings for Amy (and pay the massive soda bill, because Jon kept bringing Sonic soda and it wasn't free refills xDD)

I've discovered I really can't write Cream very well~! She's in an awkward faze, and I guess I've forgotten what it was like to be in that odd mindset of a young teenager. I'm not as young as I used to be. I still find it hard to believe that I'll be 18 next year... I don't feel much older than 14.

I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave some comments/reviews! c: Feedback is my drug~ Best kind of drug there is!


	5. Pretty & Bright

**Chapter 5**  
**p r e t t y & b r i g h t**

* * *

The cool liquid worked wonders on her contracting, heaving throat; the sobs that she had been overcome by had paralyzed her from conversation for more than half and hour and Amy found it suiting to nourish the neglected throat with a sweet drink. The lemonade glided down her sore throat with ease, recollecting her ability to speak almost at once. She gave a sniveling little splutter and covered her mouth with her open hand, the tips of her cheeks fleshing into a cute pinky color. The ice in the cup jingled against the glass as she jerked forward to cover her open mouth; it earned a small giggle from the rosette standing before her.

Amy smoothed down her skirt from the back and sat before her on the love seat. She placed her own cup of lemonade on the table. Cream couldn't help but notice how cute it was. Amy had placed a little pink bendy straw in hers and had colored her ice cubes bright orange. It looked fruity and summery, perfect for the time of year. Why... why couldn't she be dainty and resourceful like that?

The rabbit gave another splutter and Amy moved forward to brush her hand along her back soothingly. Slowly, the moments of sheer spluttering grew more scarce, and in fifteen minutes she was back to speaking full sentences. "I'm _so_ sorry," Cream apologized, flushed. Amy's gentle smile never left her face. "I just... boys are so confusing sometimes..."

The pink rascal took a moment to drink out of her own cup before responding. The last remains of lemonade glistened on her plush lips before she licked them clean. "It's okay, really! It's not like I haven't hopped in on you and your mother plenty of times crying like a baby! I mean - what, was it, like, every week when I was fourteen? You guys were my personal therapists, I should be thanking you!"

It earned her a small giggle and curl of the lips. It was all Amy needed to see.

"But~" Amy sung at once, leaning forward eagerly. Her eyes were bright with curiosity and at this distance Cream could clearly see all of the shades of green in Amy's eyes. Jade with peridot highlights and maybe a little yellow mixed in near the irises. She was envious once again. Brown. Her eyes were just dark chocolate brown and _boring_. Amy bounced in her seat once more. "Tell me _everything_! Girl talk is like crack to me, it's my high! Oooh, did you tell Tails? You sly goose!"

She squeaked out a "no!" and Amy pouted slightly. "No, no, not yet!" her face was growing more pink by the second. "But Sonic just about ruined it all-"

"You told _Sonic_?" she asked incredulously. Her eyeridges were furrowed in a cute manner. "Why in the _world_ would you tell him? He's got like the biggest mouth ever!"

Cream felt like retaliating with the fact that she had told her, and Amy wasn't exactly quiet either. Did she forget that years ago it was Amy screaming her love for Sonic and chasing after him down the sidewalk, and not the other way around? She was SO one to talk... Sonic seemed like the type to keep romantic feelings hidden, so why couldn't he keep romantic secrets hidden of someone else's?

"I... he cornered me. I didn't think he was going to be there anyways! He was _supposed_ to be busy eating lunch with you," the young bunny reasoned sensibly. "Why was he back so early, Amy?"

"Because _apparently_ I'm not pretty enough for him or something," she pouted. "I don't understand him. No matter what I do he keeps pulling away from me."

"But you're prettier than I am..." Cream's eyes flickered back down to her lap. Safety.

Amy let out a breath and scooted closer to her little sister. Warm chocolate orbs reached up to meet her jade pair. Shame. Was she ashamed of herself and the way she looked? Amy remembered being at that age. It was a tender age, and when she was 13 she had been chasing Sonic around and getting denied at least twice a week. It was grueling on one's heart, and if Amy had been used to denial... how was Cream taking a little mishap with a boy? She didn't have the experience, so of course this felt like the end of the world.

Cream was lovely, even if she didn't see it. She was tall and slim, with long legs and slowly blossoming bosoms. Her big brown doe eyes had always been a point of envy. They made her look sweet, like a slender wood nymph, and it did wonders for her complexion. The gentle facial features, the cute button nose, the white fuzzy cheeks, the soft fur, the long, floppy ears... she was a looker for sure, even at her age! She was age appropriate. She didn't look 15, like Amy had when she was 13. She looked her age, and for her age she was a beautiful girl.

When it came down to it, Cream spent all of her time with the older kids. She hardly had any friends her age; Amy had always thought she had it bad - she chased after an older boy who rarely gave her a second glance - but the age margin between Cream and everyone else, sans Tails, was significantly larger. She didn't have other girls to discuss fashion secrets and hair braiding with. The closest thing she had was Amy, who was so busy with modeling lately that it both strained their friendship and strained the bunny's perception of her own beauty. Having an excessively beautiful 'big sister' had really screwed her over. And then there was always Rouge...

After placing her lemonade on the coffee table, the pink former rascal jumped up to her feet and offered her hand out to the smaller girl. "Come on," Amy smiled. "I need to show you something."

Cream didn't take it right away; in fact, she merely stared at it as if it were a foreign object until Amy grew weary of waiting and laced her fingers around the bunny's wrist. Tugging her along, the maternal sister lead the younger into the bedroom. She was sat down on the bed as Amy twirled around, strawberry quills whipping around with her. The rosette fidgeted and played with things by her dresser. Out of instinct Cream began to speak up but she was shushed gently by the lady.

For the next half an hour, Amy twirled her hair curler through Cream's auburn locks. The sun was beginning to set, and still Amy rolled the metal curler through the rabbit's trusses, her fingers nimble and gentle. She whispered apologies softly if any tugging was done on her hair, her voice soft and tender. Amy spun her around at once, aiming her at the mirror. Ringlets bounced around her muzzle, light and fair, framing her heart-shaped face. She watched Amy twirl her fingers through the ringlets and bring the top of it into a silver barrette.

She'd never tried curling her hair before, but the outcome was definitely appealing. What was it about curls that made her feel so lively and pretty? Amy wasn't done, however, as soon as she was done with her hair she bounded up and over to her closet, and soon swooshed back holding up a pink sundress. "I got it from one of my photo shoots early on," she laid it down on the bed and smoothed her hand over the skirting. "It's a little frilly but the hemline will look really flattering on you."

"...A-Amy," Cream almost couldn't speak; her throat was contracting again and there were no words to express her feelings towards the smiling pink hedgehog. How could anyone not like her? She was so sweet and nice! "I couldn't wear that, it's yours-"

"Cream, we've shared bathwater before. We're sisters, and sisters share clothes all the time!" Amy's smile was sincere. "I'm giving it to you. It doesn't fit me anymore anyways, it's definitely yours!"

The fawn girl was pulled serenely to her feet, and was helped into the dress. The top was silky and contoured to her gentle build. The dress wasn't made for a girl with a large chest (Cream suspected Amy had outgrown it; she was just a tad shorter than she was now) and made her look slender and lithe. The skirting was blowy and poofed out just enough to express the breezy look of her youthful, long legs, that seemed to go on and on.

Amy stood behind Cream like a proud mother, her hands on Cream's slim shoulders, and eased her towards the floor-length mirror. The dress was completely age appropriate and flattering. She didn't look too young, like the dresses her mother probably picked out for her (schoolgirl sleeves and boxy with bobby socks) and at the same time she didn't look like Rouge had dressed her with items from her own closet. She looked thirteen, cute and flirty, and yet completely in the right.

Cream could hardly believe her reflection was her. The curls and the dress, was that really all it took? The dress accentuated all of her best features - her willowy, skinny shoulders, her lissome legs - and the curls bounced around the cute shape of her face. She looked like a dancer, with her long legs and slight build. Maybe buxom wasn't always better - Amy had a more formidable chest than she did, and standing there in that dress Cream really felt gorgeous.

"See?" Amy placed her head on her shoulder and smiled wider. Her voice was mild and soothing, the volume controlled carefully. "You're prettier than I am," she breathed.

* * *

Rouge the Bat was a knockout.

It wasn't like that was any secret, really - every man and their brother knew that Rouge was _fine_. She looked especially good in high heels, because they made her legs look longer and more shapely than they already were. Of course, Rouge could walk about in a smock and she'd still be a sex bomb. Her anatomy was better than the average girl's, and you could bet that she knew it. She flaunted it. She enjoyed the attention.

It had been weeks since the little trip to the cafe and she was still bitter about being cock blocked, so to speak. Not that she had a penis - but _Shadow_ did, and he was so reluctant to share it with her that she couldn't take it. After Amy had left Rouge had tried to get her freak on and she had been absolutely denied.

Several thoughts flew threw her mind as she glossed her lips with _La Pink Amour_, an expensive brand and shade of high-class lipstick. She pursed her lips and then popped them with a snap, grinning at her reflection radiantly. She was looking stunning in a little back dress that shaped around her cleavage and haltered fit across her neck. The dress was short and flirty, ending well up her legs. Black pumps adorned her feet. Every girl looked fabulous in their little black dress - Rouge just happened to wear it better.

With a final smack of her lips she turned and slid her lipstick into her purse. She didn't have any more time for fleeting glances in the girls bathroom mirror. She had to run her club, and standing in the bathroom fixing her makeup simply wasn't a viable option to do so.

She pushed out of the bathroom and was greeted by the bright, flashing lights that was the dance floor of Club Rouge. Her stride was carnal, her long legs looking lascivious.

Swirling the fruity cocktail in her glass, she took her seat at the bar next to her prudent boy toy. Shadow was cute and all but he could be _such_ a drag. He was dangerous and a bad boy, and that was sexy in itself but how could any man _not_ want to bang her?

The bartender - a middle aged female feline - gave her a sly wink. Shadow took another sip of his beer. He didn't seem to notice the difference... it was incredible how much of a lightweight Shadow proved to be. Did he really not know the difference between semi alcoholic drinks and drinks that had been dangerously spiked with vodka? Couldn't he smell it? Or was it that he just didn't care? Either way, in the end it would end in her favor, unarguably.

He already looked tipsy. He couldn't be beyond his second drink and his tanned muzzle was already looking flushed. Perfect. It was time for her to make her move.

She leaned across the bar towards the boy that was sitting backwards in his stool. He gave her a look; she slid her arm across his lap and gave him a cattish little smile. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't let himself be so easily swayed. It must have been the drink that was making his head spin; maybe it was the way she was dressed, maybe it was the way she was looking at him, too. Either way, it was under the heavy thumping of the music and the lowed lights that he let her slide over and steal an erotic kiss.

It was almost embarrassing how easy he had gotten intoxicated. It was even more rattling how easy she seemed to be handling him and taking it. Her breath was hot and fruity - probably from that girly little pink drink she was drinking mere moments before.

If he was in the right frame of mind he would have pushed her off of him, but his mind was clouded and his vision dizzy and each sly kiss she smacked upon his lips were loosening his willpower. Dammit, he felt like Sonic; weak against the ways of the female gender and their soft curves.

"Let's take this upstairs," she whispered, her voice breathy. His excitement made itself known.

"Ngh..." he couldn't even bring himself to answer; he was too busy battling with his bodily urges and he couldn't seem to locate his head. It was supposed to be on his shoulders but it felt like it was floating and _dammit_ if Rouge kept kissing him the way she was he'd lose it. "Nh-"

She didn't seem patient enough for an answer. She grabbed his wrist and pulled the stumbling, drunk and bumbling hedgehog across the dance floor and to the stairs located at the back of the club for a little, ahem, alone time. He craned his head around and stared at the bright colored disco lights, the pinks and blues and purples fascinating far more than the lovely woman literally dragging him up the stairs. None of the grinding and canoodling Mobians struck his attention long enough to keep it.

However, one person did catch his eye. Vaguely, inebriated as he was, he still managed to catch sight of a red dreadlock. It was apparent in those violently violet eyes that the echidna looked disturbed by the sight of the two of them but he made no move to go and gather them. Shadow let out a grunt of sorts, but it was no use because he was stumbling over the stairs, his feet of absolute no use and Rouge was getting fiery. In his sloshed state he could barely comprehend who the man was. Hands? Fingers? What was his name?

Rouge pushed the door open and glided across the room. He followed suite, having perpetually no say in the matter. He was seated on the small cot and ruby eyes were glued to the woman standing before him. "I wannnna'ogo dunwnstairs," he slurred.

A smirk of sorts smudged across her beautiful face. The look was imposing and splendid, just as she had intended. The tips of her graceful, womanly fingers prodded him into submitting; he was sprawled out on the bed, drunk as a lord and she was crawling on top of him, looking more sly and blitzed on the idea of sex than ever. The room was dark and he could barely see a thing; he could only hear someone creeping up the stairs, Rouge's gleeful pants and the sound of someone trampling down the stairs.

Said peeper couldn't help himself; he was curious as to why Rouge was dragging Shadow up the stairs like she was. Knuckles would have went but as soon as he saw them he got all grumpy and promptly left, which Sonic found annoying - he basically just left him alone there and stranded. He could leave...

The blue blur sped strode down the dance floor. A girl bumped into him; she couldn't have been much older than 18. She was clearly drunk beyond control. She was a cute cat with long baby blue hair and vibrant green eyes - eyes just like Amy's, actually. Her build was... formidable. He tried not to notice. He was 20 now, after all, and looking at minor girls like that just seemed creepy to him.

She stumbled forward and he figured it would have been rude not to catch her, so that's exactly what he did - the problem was her reaction afterwards. By making sure the intoxicated girl didn't take a fall he had adversely caused her to get the wrong idea completely. Apparently, by making sure she didn't kiss the floor she thought he wanted to kiss _her_.

And so, once she was settled back on her feet she lunged up to his mouth and captured it with her own. It wasn't a sweet kiss; it wasn't even a good kiss. She smelt like alcohol and she didn't have complete control over her tongue - and the worst part wasn't the fact that she couldn't kiss, it was the grunt that came from behind him. Ears perked up in alert, he turned his head to view Knuckles the Echidna looking more annoyed and dissatisfied than ever. The guardian looked crossly at the cat, stereotyping her then and there. Sonic excused himself as nicely as he could - though it got messy and he had to untangle her arms from around him - and scrambled over to meet fists with rad red.

"Whoa-!"

The echidna growled. "I want to leave."

"Well, by all means go!" Sonic jerked backwards and dusted himself off instinctively. "Yeesh, just because Rouge's busy screwing Shadow doesn't mean you need to get your panties in a twist."

Knuckles' infamous temper was flaring. "I don't care what that blazing batgirl does."

"Mhm," Sonic's smug grin was clear evidence that he wasn't buying the story. Why should he? He saw how the two of them acted around each other. They were both too stubborn to admit that if they gave it a chance something could happen between them. "Sure, like you wouldn't give anything to be in there with Rouge riding you instead?"

Sexual matters were not Knuckles' forte. He was just as much a virgin as Shadow was. Needless to say, Sonic's comment made him redder than he was before hand. "You wouldn't be so smug if it was Amy in there making love with Shadow," he fought back. "Hm?"

"Amy's not a whore, so that wouldn't happen!" it was an afterthought that Knuckles implied he had feelings for the girl. "'Sides, Amy can get into bed with whoever she pleases. We're not together."

And although he stated otherwise, he couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his stomach that came with the idea of Amy entangled in the sheets of her bed with Shadow. The two had been close lately... the thought of the angsty doppleganger was more off putting than it should have been for Sonic's liking.

Thankfully, Knuckles changed the subject.

"Gh... whatever. I'm leaving," he grunted. Although Sonic didn't want to be left alone he was still considerably surprised that Knuckles had stayed as long as he did, especially after witnessing Rouge pull Shadow upstairs into a private room. Though rad red liked to deny it, he suspected something was going on there. After all, nobody knew more about denying feelings for a girl better than Sonic did. He could ace a class on it.

"Hold up!" Sonic called and grabbed his arm. "Nuh ah, I take it back - don't split just because your wannabe dame is mackin' on some other guy. You're not leaving me here alone!"

He gave the slightly shorter male a gruff look. "What about this damned club looks like it's my kind of place?"

A cocky grin replaced Sonic's expression. "A tall drink, perhaps?" he asked cornily, literally dragging rad red over to the bar and ordered him a drink, as well as one for himself. "It'll make everything easier, trust me."

Knuckles went to argue but Sonic gave him a firm expression. In Sonic's head, everything made perfect sense; with the buzz of liquid courage humming in the back of his head, Knux would have all the courage he needed to come clean about his feelings. It would do him good to loosen up. Maybe even meet a nice girl in the crowd and forget all about Rouge.. Sonic had an inkling that she wasn't the best news for his bud.

Knuckles proved to be more and more fond of the idea of drinking as the night went on. The number of drinks he knocked back grew increasingly, and it was only Sonic's semi sober notions that drew him away.. well, to be frank, Sonic had to forcefully pull the echidna from his seat and out the door. The big lug was hard to pull, bigger than him after all and with jello toddler legs. He wasn't going to move and he was babbling nonsense which was earning the two boys stares from those passing by. Somebody whispered about a lover's quarrel. Sonic visibly winced. _So.. maybe this wasn't my best idea._

More than anything, he knew that he had to get the two of them out of sight. They were drawing too much attention and if the general public thought he was into boys then it was a problem. He didn't see anything wrong with the lifestyle but it just wasn't for him. Not to mention leaving him alone in his condition probably wasn't his best idea. Rumors traveled fast, and surely somebody would notice that Knuckles was completely wasted...

He needed to get his friend safe and out of trouble; preferably safe and in bed, actually. The only problem was that Tails lived over by his workshop, and the train was filled with too many people. He needed a close place to hide him until the morning - and then Sonic had to be nearby, else Knuckles' be both confused and hung over. He'd surely be a bigger nuisance then than usual in the morning. Knuckles confused as an issue in itself, but hungover with a headache and grumpier than usual? Yikes! He shot a quick glance around the area. The only friends he knew that lived in Station Square aside from Rouge and Shadow were Amy and Cream, and something told Sonic that Vanilla would be supremely unimpressed with the fact that Sonic had gotten Knuckles drunk.

But Amy? He still wasn't on the best terms with her. He was fairly certain that after the little spat in the restaurant she wanted nothing to do with him for a while. That upset him to a degree but he didn't have time to linger on thoughts of getting Amy on his good side again, especially since bringing a drunken lug into her home wasn't the nicest apology. He'd just have to turn up the charm. As stubborn as she was, he was still her biggest weakness.

With much coaching and coaxing, Knuckles was finally dragged up the stairs of Amy's apartment and into her living room. When approached at the door, Amy looked groggy, as if she had just rolled out of bed. As she probably should have, considering the time - it was late at night. Very late. She was adorned in a short, white night gown that ended mid-thigh and cute little bootie slippers. Her quills were knotted into braids, the ribbons on the end loosened by her tossing and turning. She let them in, though she didn't look too thrilled to see Knuckles stumbling in alongside the boy she was peeved at.

She closed the door behind them, leaning her shoulder into it. "Put him on the couch," she mused softly. Sonic did as he was told, though it proved to be difficult as Knuckles didn't want to cooperate. His legs were equivalent to pasta, and dragging him across the floor was taxing as Knuckles was a good deal bigger than him. A small giggle escaped Amy; Sonic sent a look back at her. "What? This is better than cable."

He gave her a smug look and promptly dropped Knuckles onto the couch. The echidna flopped down and gave a grunt.

"Go easy on him, a'ight?" the boy approached the younger female, peering down at her. Maybe it was the haze of alcohol clouding his mind that caused him to find it harder than usual to tear himself from her gaze. Her eyes were powerful and bold - and beautiful, at that. Big and green, with a halo of gold surrounding the center. Or.. was it that after the entire scene at the restaurant had changed them, changed him? He was fairly certain it was the former... or was he trying to tell himself that?

Her hand planted themselves on her hips as she tried to appear taller and more threatening than normal. It was a hard feat, considering she was adorned in a lacy, silky nightgown. "And why's he drunk anyways, Sonic? Did you take him out drinking?"

Amy wasn't a fan of alcohol. She simply didn't find the glamor in getting drunk off one's rocker. Needless to say, the idea of any apple of her eye partaking in drinking wasn't appealing to her. The small girl leaned forward, her nose tickling under his lips and she sniffed his breath. Her expression darkened. "Sonic!"

"Hey, I'm of age!... almost," he added as an afterthought, fearing her wrath. Amy was a sweetheart most of the time, but if she was questioned in the wrong way then she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. _Pretty and tough,_ he thought fondly. _Just like her namesake._

She pulled on his nose. He yelped (which startled Knuckles) and was tugged down to her eye level. At that distance he could see the color of her eyes quite clearly as well as smell her perfume, her shampoo, other aromas associated with her. Softly, but threateningly, she whispered "you're an awful role model, you know that?"

They were falling back into their routine. "You love me, you can get over it," a grin curved onto his face. Her lips pressed together, clearly surprising the urge to smile back and fall into his trap.

"You're staying here to take care of him, Sonic," she declared, letting go of his nose and folding her arms over her chest. "He's not my responsibility, and I have a photo shoot tomorrow. I need my beauty sleep."

With the haze of intoxication he almost let slip that she didn't really _need _any beauty sleep. He stole glances at her as she leaned over Knuckles, draping a blanket over him and giving a maternal kiss goodnight on his forehead. He caught sight of the back of her calve, the length of her back, the pinkness of her lips. He stopped himself as his his eyes started to linger down her body to less chaste places. _Maybe the booze wasn't such a good idea,_ he thought fleetingly, his normally very strong sense of right or wrong crumbling as her skirt pulled up as she bent.

"Nuh uh," he shook his head, drawing his gaze from her at once. "Not a chance, Ames. I'm not getting in your bed with you."

She blushed radiantly. "You can sleep on the floor!"

"What? You'd do that to me?" he asked playfully. He reached forward and tugged on one of her braids lightly, chucking at the wincing face she made. "That's no way to treat your 'future hubby', now is it?"

He didn't intend on sleeping in the same bed as her; their relationship would only get more awkward at the possibilities. Brushing elbows, spooning, waking up snuggled into something he shouldn't.. the truth of the matter was he didn't trust himself alone in the dark with her laying so close because he knew how he was. Sure, she was _just_ a friend, but she was a pretty friend. That's what he told himself, anyways. Denying everything was just easier on him, easier on her in the long run. He was quite convinced.

She clicked her tongue at him and flicked the lights off. Sonic hadn't actually noticed that Knuckles had finally nodded off - he was too busy focusing his attention on Amy's cute feet, her slender fingertips. The drunken state he was in merely brought out more of her beauty upon him, and if he hadn't already been aware of just how much that little girl he rescued nine years ago had grown up then he was now. She was nearly a woman, so very close and she knew it, too. He couldn't help but think that maybe she was pushing the envelope. Maybe she was trying to grow up too fast for his sake.. living on her own and working a serious job was a lot of weight on a practically 17 year old girl.

She pushed against her bedroom door softly. She had every intention of simply drowning him out and going to bed without another word but caught herself. Her mistake was looking over her shoulder and stealing another guilty gaze at him. His expression was curious, analyzing. He scrutinized her, as if trying to decide his opinion or what to say next. Having so much attention on her was flattering, to say the least. Though the previous blush had died down, previous warmth still lingered. "Goodnight, Sonic," she murmured lightly.

The soft expression on her face was different than he expected. Nonetheless, it was welcomed. "Sleep tight, tike," he gave a fleeting wave of his hand as he stretched out on Amy' arm chair.

She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her. Sonic would _never_ change. A smile crept onto her face.

* * *

**I'm so very sorry about this late update. I lost my school laptop for the summer and I had it backed up on here, so I could only continue it once school started again. Other than that, I've just been running on low inspiration lately. Between being copied and busy with work I haven't had time to fulfill my duties as Queen.**

**You can thank a few songs for this chapter. They got me through and kept me writing; the first scene was entirely inspired by _I Feel Pretty/Unpretty_, which is sung by the Glee Cast and is my favorite mashup they've done. It's my ringtone right now, actually!**  
**_You and I_ by Lady Gaga has been a big inspiration, too. I love that woman. She's so talented and the song has such a big meaning - about following dreams and chasing that guy down, and I really feel like I'm channeling Amy when that one's blaring.**  
**_Haven't Had Enough _by Marianas Trench is the final, just because it's so catchy.**

**I've been through a lot over the summer, emotionally and romantically, so I feel like that's been a factor in this lateness too.**

**Alright, to discuss the chapter!**

**The plot is really moving along now. One of these scenes plays a huge part in the story later on, so pay attention!**

**As always, reviewing after reading is greatly appreciated. I can't do this without feedback about what works and what didn't; plus I want to know if I strike the reader in any way, so don't be afraid to drop me a comment. I try to respond to all of them thoughtfully.**


	6. Morning Glory

**Chapter 6**

**Morning Glory**

* * *

The sun loved to taunt him.

It was like it knew that he wasn't feeling up to speed - it seemed to say "_Good morning, Shadow! How's that hangover treating you? Too bright? Naw, there's no such thing as too bright!_"

The annoying sun reminded him of Sonic. Sonic was the last thing he needed in that moment. The brightness of the sun peaking through the curtains, the fatigue biting at his eyelids, the thirst in the back of his throat - along with the subtle taste of vile aftermath - were all companioned with one throbbing, consistent headache.

Shadow wasn't used to waking up with a headache.

Such trivial things didn't often plague the ultimate lifeform's health. He wasn't normal - not that any of their biologics were normal, aside from maybe Amy, who just tried really hard - and thus a headache wasn't something that normally happened to him. Granted, when he had his sudden flashbacks he gained a bit of a migraine but it wasn't like this. As soon as he sat up he was smacked in the forehead with a slamming, persistent headache. It was because of that he knew that something was up.

Or maybe it was the fact that there was a bare woman draped across the bed beside him. That sure was a red flag as well.

The black hedgehog nearly jumped out of his skin, shoving blankets up to cover Rouge's immodesty. To him, there was something not right about gazing upon a woman while she was bare. It made him uncomfortable, and though clearly something had happened the night before he didn't want to dig himself in a bigger hole. He wasn't worried about her being upset with him; he was more upset about his conscious and his guilt. Surely she'd be upset with him later. Too soon..

Definitely too soon. Judging by the mess that was sprawled across the upstairs room of Rouge's own club, something happened last night that he wouldn't have done had he been sober. He went to stand up, but his searing headache latched itself onto his feet and suddenly he was back to lying facedown in his pillows, the sun too bright and the world too heavy for his shoulders. _Maybe I'll get up later,_ he thought temporarily. The allure of slouching on the crummy mattress while trying to ignore the constant pulsating of his head was high - it would have been easy to lay in bed all day with the bare Rouge next to him.

Something wasn't right about that though, and he soon found himself feeling disconnected from the brightness that singed his being at that moment. His guilt was chipping away at his laziness, the hangover becoming minor in relation to his recently crossed morals. He couldn't help but feel betrayed; Rouge knew _very_ well how he felt about premarital consummation. He was a much older soul than she was.. not to mention he wasn't even sure how deep his feelings fan for her. It was part being a decent, moralistic guy and part being unsure and cautious of how fast their relationship ran. In that aspect, he was very opposite from Sonic. He prided himself on being above him. It made his past and trigger-happy hand deemed less horrible if he was at least moralistic.

_Plus, I can't help feeling live I've betrayed Maria_..

His fur was matted and ruffled in places due to the the rough night he had. Lugging himself onto his feet and out of the safety zone that was the bed, he trudged across the room and groped around in the pile of clothing for anything that belonged to him. Once he was personally deemed situated he took a long, pausing glance at the beautiful woman, bare and draped across the bed, covered only by a feeble blanket from the cold morning air.

More than anything, Shadow needed a place to think - an escape. Somewhere away from Rouge and her pretty thighs and elicit moans. Somewhere away from the night club, somewhere farther away from Sonic's mocking face when he heard about what happened. He needed his go to girl. There were only two people he'd ever met that never judged him or thought lowly of him because of his numerous mistakes. Two people shone above the rest for having sheer heart and simply caring about him; the first was Maria, the second Amy.

As much as he'd have loved the former, he knew it wasn't possible; Maria was long gone, as much as it hurt him to admit it, even internally, and there'd be no way for him to go to her for comfort and advice in this moment. He felt sicker than he already did from the hangover when he considered how absolutely selfish about the matter. Shadow, going for comfort and help?

And then he considered Sonic, and considered what a mess he was from trying to pussy foot around his problems and Shadow knew at once he didn't want to be like that, didn't want to be like him. Being like Sonic wasn't a compliment to him; though the blue blur had many redeeming factors Shadow prided himself on being a little more sound on conflict. So, it was after that he decided that he'd go visit Miss Rose. Ironic how Shadow's source of comfort was Sonic's source of conflict. How juxtapositional.

Holding a hand to his throbbing head, he stumbled down the stairs. The club was a mess. Shadow wondered if it was like this after ever late night bash. Glasses were left scattered across the tables and floors - some were spilled over but none were full.

Staggering across the room, he couldn't help but grow annoyed at the door that wouldn't come to him close enough. Everything was too bright and too loud; the click of his shoes against the floor, the slight flashing of the sun through the dimmed windows, the swirling of the earth around him as he walked. The temptation to collapse on the counter and take a nice long nap plagued him once again. He was strong, he was the Ultimate Lifeform; he didn't require sleep. Or, that's what he told himself at least.

It was only after he was out of the club and into the blinding sunlight that he thought about how Rouge might feel. What did she expect, puppies and rainbows and sunshine? Did she realize she practically date raped him? What was her deal? She normally wasn't so dead set on the sex. There had to be more to it. Did something happen earlier that day?

He was sure he'd hear the rest of the story later. Right then, he was looking more forward to going back to his apartment and his face meeting his pillow, because the sun made him want to keel over and die.

Maybe he'd discuss it with Amy later. He reminded himself sharply to never get that drunk again. The headache was nearly unbearable. There was a massive craving for ibuprofen in that moment.

Rouge would be upset, for sure. Furious probably. Maybe she'd even break up with him. It was too bad for her that Shadow's head hurt too much for him to give half a damn at the time. She was the one who ordered his drink for him; that should have been a red flag for him in the first place. Maybe he had been too trusting of his girlfriend. The again, he had certain expectations for her.

Perhaps he was naive for thinking she'd ever live up to those expectations. Respectability and properness weren't always Rouge the Bat's fortes. In all, he wasn't sure what it was that attracted him to her. Perchance her beauty, which was definitely unmatched among their friends. Even Amy, who was getting more gorgeous as she aged didn't have the same classic beauty that most men found attractive. Rouge was mature and tall. Rouge was cunning and sneaky. She was a thief. She was a double agent. Rouge had been his first friend and one of the only ones to ever try to get to know him and understand him, whereas most other people were quicker to judge (sans Amy, but that ship had already sank; besides, Amy's heart, though she dated Shadow at one point, had never really left from the palm of Sonic's hand). Rouge took the time.

Did she have ulterior motives, though? Was their entire relationship and friendship constructed around her physical attraction towards him? Was it built on the foundation of her pulsating lust towards him, or was it based off of respect and maybe even a hint of love? And could her answer even be trusted? She could fool even government officials.

He was suddenly extremely leery of Rouge, and that fact doubled the headache that had already swallowed his entire face.

* * *

"Rise and shine, boys! Wake up and smell the coffee! The early bird gets the wo-"

"Nggh, we get it Ames," a groggy Sonic grumbled as he folded his pillow over his head. Needless to say, Amy's carpet wasn't the best bed he'd ever slept on. In fact, even cheap hotels had more accommodating features than her carpet did.

He had no choice in the matter, really; he was sure he'd be able to convince Amy share her bed but there was something dangerous to him about being that close to her. Knowing that her slumbering, vulnerable form was that close to him made him second guess asking her to share. She'd be much too close for comfort and the pressing need to reassure himself that Amy was nothing more than a friend would overcome him and he'd probably do something he'd regret. She was way too pretty in that nightgown. He pulled the pillow farther over his eyes.

She kneeled by him and peeled the cushion off of his face. The first thing Sonic the Hedgehog saw that morning was the bright peridot of Amy's eyes. She smiled sillily at him and he hugged the pillow to his chest instead, swallowing painfully. Dazed, he tried to manage a grin but it came out as more of a one-sided sneer. His eyes nearly bugged out as her hand stroked across the side of his face soothingly.

She was getting awfully daring with the touch barrier lately.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked quietly, suddenly aware of the very hungover man drooped on her couch. Clearly, Knuckles wasn't dealing with the aftermath of too much booze quite as well as they had both hoped; how did they expect him to take it lightly? He had zero sense of humor.

He shrugged her off as he sat up, the side of his muzzle warm where she had grazed her hand. He forced himself to ignore it. "About as well as I could've without a bed, Rosy. Did'ja sleep alright yourself?"

Amy Rose appeared to be flattered that he thought to ask the same of her. Courtesy and manners had never been the blue blur's forte. Flattered, she answered with a tender "fine, Sonic," and then moved on. She stood up, holding her nightgown down carefully across her lap in case Sonic's eyes wandered. She needn't worry, however, for as soon as Sonic saw even a hint of white lacy panties his eyes were on her rose-painted toenails, the same shade painting across his muzzle.

She held a slender hand out to him. "Want something to eat, Sonic?" she asked kindly. It was like all malice she held towards him the night before had diminished into somewhat considerateness. If anything she was being civil, while still retaining the ever potent sweetness that he had grown accustomed to expect from his favorite bugbear. _She's... not terrible, I guess,_ he allowed himself to think as he accepted her hand. She pulled him to his feet after bracing herself.

He came to his full height, a good eye level above the cutie in white. There was something freakishly adorable about her height compared to his, and though he found it dangerously impish the way she looked up at him with peridots ablaze he took that extra step back from her. The feeling of her breath so close to his was a temptation he wasn't willing to face yet, a temptation he'd never been keen on confronting head on. Distance was safer.

"Depends. Are ya making pancakes, or that gross oatmeal crud?"

She reverted slightly, an eye roll answering his suspicions. "Cream of Wheat, you mean?"

"Yeeeah, that!"

She shook her head at him disapprovingly (or annoyed, he couldn't tell) before turning on the tips of her toes, the end of her frilled nightgown giving him too many hints of the sweet thighs they guarded from his sight. He gave a grunt and flicked his nose, attempting to draw his attention anywhere from the pretty pink hedgehog making her way towards the kitchen, asking him to wake up Knuckles.

Rad Red wasn't doing too hot. Sonic couldn't decide wether to get him a bucket or a glass of water. "Knux," Sonic began, seating himself down on the arm of Amy's couch, hovering near Knuckles' feet, "have you ever been drunk before? How many fingers am I holding up, dude?"

Perhaps that was the wrong approach; Knuckles trying to focus on Sonic's gloved fingers while red eyed and grumbling something about a headache seemed to be irritating the echidna instead of helping him. He looked flushed and sickly. Really sickly, actually...

"Knuckles, are you gonna be-"

Knuckles responded by promptly losing the contents of his stomach all over Amy's cream colored carpet. Time froze. Sonic looked from the groggy looking knucklehead to the foul substance on Amy's carpet with a look of dread. Knuckles wiped his mouth with the back of his mitt, clubbed Sonic on the back and then curled back into a ball, presumably falling asleep. Sonic literally just stared at the puddle of vomit in the middle of Amy's living room. Oh, when she came out and saw it she was going to be _furious_-!

And there she stood, peeking out from the kitchen, eyes wide with shock. She dropped the spatula. The noise of it hitting the tiled floor vibrated throughout the area before Amy's accusing eyes drew themselves onto him.

"Ames, I-"

Amy cracked. Everything that happened in the past week between them boiled over into a sheer moment of unrivaled and dramatic fury. Eyes ablaze, they locked greens and it was clear what her intentions were. Before he could think about moving, in a speed maybe even rivaling his own, she pounced.

"Why'd you have to go and get him drunk!" she shrieked and flew across the room at him. Before he knew it he had arms full of pink, her arms swinging and hitting pity punches across his chest. She was pouring herself out through beating on him; he knew that. Maybe that was why none of her punches were actually full of rage - they didn't hurt. He was strong, he could take her even if she was the strongest girl he knew. They weren't fueled by vigorous rage. Each punch punctuated her feelings towards him, towards their situation, towards her frustration over him. "You idiot!" she sobbed.

If he were a real man he could calm her down without setting her down in the puddle of sick. If he were a real man, actually, he'd kiss her right then and there and forget about his regrets and nervousness. He'd give her what she wanted, he'd cherish her, he'd consider her his powerful little princess. Maybe he wasn't a real man, he considered as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her closer to the depth of his chest, but he still knew a thing or two about this girl. More than anybody else in the world knew.

The trembling rosette squirmed for a while. "Let me go-!" she squealed and threw her body weight around. Fortunately for Sonic, she hardly weighed anything. She was a tiny bird in his arms, struggling and scrambling to fly away from her captor.

The way he made himself bend himself over and place warm, reassuring pecks on her neck formed a legitimate ache in the depths of his chest. He never really noticed how badly he wanted to hold her before then. Something about her felt so right in his arms; the way her waist curved delicately and exquisitely around the arch of his arms and elbows, the crooks meeting in just the right places, how her dainty height sat at the perfect way for whispering in her ears. He was drunk on the thought of actually feeling her.

She shuffled in his arms nervously, pulling away to look him in the eye. She was testing him, it seemed. She was saying _do you love me or not?_ with her eyes and he was afraid to know what his eyes were saying back to her.

He had to change the subject quickly before he was ruined. "Shadow had a wild night with Rouge, Ames. I wanted to cheer him up. I didn't realize he'd barf!"

She shuffled away just enough so she could fold her arms over her chest. The feel of her nightgown glided beneath his fingertips as his hold around her stomach remained in place. He could stay like that forever if he was allowed to, but in the innermost caverns of his mind he knew there were specific restrictions on interactions with Amy Rose. She was dangerous. She brought out thoughts and ideas that shouldn't be uncaged; she was his personal dopamine, and she scared him witless. He hated her for that. He loved her for that. He didn't have the slightest clue what she was anymore.

"But why'd you bring him here?" she huffed/asked in a small, puffy voice. She looked like a small child being punished against her will.

He moved one hand to flick her tuff atop her head fondly. "Kiddo, was I just supposed to leave him on Rouge's floor? Yeah, that'd be a pleasant morning. It was either here, in Rouge's bath tub or on the streets. I think I did the right thing."

"The right thing," Amy reasoned, "would have been to let him go home and not get him drunk, Sonic. The poor thing's probably never had alcohol in his life."

He rolled her eyes. He hated it when she was right. Damn her. Damn her and her pretty eyes and her pretty hips and her pretty face.

They both very well knew they could've been cleaning up the pile of sick on the ground. They were both aware of the disgusting pile of vile substance on Amy's previously impeccable carpet... yet they found comfort as they stood, Sonic's arms around her indented waist and Amy looking up at him with eyes like a kitten. For Amy, it was like uncovering treasure - she was so close to him! If she spoiled the moment she might never have a chance like this again. Oh, what she'd give to kiss those lips dangling right there in front of her eyes like a mouse-on-a-string cat toy. It was instinct to grab what she wanted, it was part of her nature.

And so she did.

Sonic seemed taken aback. Her eyes were closed but she could feel him take a step back slightly, his body erecting in shock. She'd never been _this_ daring before, she knew he was thinking but she couldn't help but enjoy the moment. He seemed to be more going along with her motions than thinking his way through this. It was a blessing to her that he was following his baser male instincts by gripping her midriff harder, an actual groan emanating from his throat. Did.. did he actually _want _this?

If he were a stranger and she was judging only on his actions, then yes - he wanted her. He probably wanted inside of her, too. Kisses with Shadow had never felt this powerful, this world changing, this mind boggling. Kisses with Shadow felt more like obligation, like safety; Shadow was practically her best male friend. Sonic was the love of her life, even if she wasn't the same to him. If she based this spine melting kiss on a stranger, she'd say without a doubt that they were madly in love with her.

But this was Sonic. This was the ever fickle and elusive Sonic, who pussy footed his way around her and his problems until he was forced to face them head on, like in the situation he was in now. Sonic was like a deer caught in headlights, acting purely on instinct to please the girl rather than piss her off more. But still, the groan.. it made her wonder if maybe kissing her wasn't nearly as awful as he'd always thought it to be. The hands clutching her and gliding down guilty to her hips made her wonder that as well. Just what did Sonic want with her anymore?

They were blurring the lines. Indulging. Things the Sonic of her past would have never allowed.

And just as quickly as she had sprung the kiss on him he ended it. His eyes were wide, like he was a child that had broken his mother's favorite vase. He didn't know what to do or how to react, and part of her didn't blame him. She was pretty sure that he didn't expect to like kissing her nearly as much as he did. Maybe he was confused. Maybe he was angry. Maybe he was sexually frustrated. She guessed it was a fine brew of the three, topped off with a dash of glee.

"Ames.." he managed out, his hands now resting idly on her slim shoulders. His pinky looped underneath the strap of her nightgown like mutiny against his mind. "What-"

There was a knock on the door. Then a groan. A low groan.

They both looked back. Amy excused herself girlishly as Sonic reluctantly let her out of his arms to go answer the door. She looked over her shoulder at the pile of sick and then at Sonic. "Would you mind...?"

Her eyes seemed to dare him to suggest otherwise. She was accusing. _It's YOUR fault he got sick in my house anyways, bub._

Reluctantly again, he grumbled and dragged his feet off into the bathroom for cleaning supplies. He felt like a parent, cleaning up after a helpless other. Except it was Knuckles. Dammit Knuckles.

Cleaning up Knuckles' pile of sick wasn't his routine morning, nor was it something he looked forward to doing. Once Knuckles was sobered up he'd give him a piece of his mind - which was completely hypocritical because Sonic was the reason he was drunk period. Originally when Rouge had taken Shadow upstairs Knuckles had wanted to make an exit. Sonic was the genius that suggested drinking.

He noticed Amy was speaking to the person in the doorway in a hushed voice. Her volume was carefully controlled. He craned his neck around the hallway to peek and see who was at the door; he stomach flopped when he realized it was Shadow.

What was Shadow doing at Amy's house? And better yet, why had they been spending so much time together lately? Sonic was full of questions - stubborn, selfish ones that he shouldn't have allowed himself to think but the buss from before was still tingling on his lips and maybe his willpower was off its mark. Why wasn't Shadow with Rouge? Sleeping with Rouge was not the worst thing one could do. Sonic was dumbly male enough to admit that. Rouge was a sex bomb, a goddess in heels. What was he doing at Amy's house?

Maybe Shadow didn't want Rouge so much. It would explain why he'd been denying her such intimacy for months. Had Shadow been a virgin before the ordeal?

He noticed how Shadow was holding his head, his eyes bloodshot. Headache. Shadow was definitely dealing with a hangover, though by the looks of things probably better than Knuckles had. Shadow didn't appear to be nauseated, just irritably in pain. Amy, alway the shining maternal figure of the group, took his head into her hands, propped herself up to the tips of her toes so that she stood at her fullest possible height and placed a gentle, warm kiss on his forehead. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't romantic. But why did it bother him so much?

_She's just a friend and that kiss didn't mean anything_, Sonic told himself. At that point he wasn't sure if he were debating the kiss he just witnessed between his rival and his bugbear or the one from before from Amy. _She's just overly affectionate and can't help it. I just liked it because she's an attractive girl._

It appeared to be working for a little bit.

But then Amy pulled him into her kitchen.

Sonic tossed the paper towels away and strode into the kitchen, stubbornly sitting himself down at the table across from where Amy had put Shadow. The Ultimate Lifeform gave Sonic a dirty look. "What's faker doing here?"

Amy slid a glass of water and two Ibuprofen across the table to the black hedgehog. He took the medication, shockingly enough to Sonic - Shadow was notorious for hating pills and medicine. He never took it. How'd Amy do it?

Sonic leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. "I was just in the neighborhood. Knux got himself wasted last night and he camped here."

Shadow snorted. "Classy," he responded half heartedly, retreating back to massaging his temples. His ruby reds closed, blocking out all blue irritation. Well, hopefully. Unless Sonic decided to open his big mouth, and knowing that he was around himself and Amy, it was highly likely that a massive bomb of stupid was about to be dropped on Amy's kitchen table. "I'd like to speak to Amy privately, if you don't mind Sonic."

The blue blur stood up at once, palms flat on the table. "A'ight, fine - but I want it PG13 in here, alright kids? No nudity. Ames' a model, not a porn star," he teased. There he was, retreating back into the utopia of humor and brushing off any potent bursts of jealousy.

Red cheeked, she pointed towards the door sternly. "Sonic!"

"I'm goin', I'm goin'" he shot them a lazy grin and left the kitchen, chuckling to himself over the wild expression on Amy's face. _Man, Ames in Playhog - oh man, don't think about it! _

She closed the door behind him, resting her ungloved palms on the cold wood before pressing her forehead against it as well. Her cheeks were simply burning and she was finding it more difficult to calm herself. She was still giddy from the kiss; she was so proud of herself and angry at herself at the same time. She was excited that Sonic didn't bolt it. She was worried that he only stuck around out of pity. She was infatuated with the way he tasted.

Thinking about the kiss didn't help the swelling redness of her muzzle. Shadow was probably getting a sunburn off of her excessive blushing.

"S-Sorry about him," she excused softly and walked back to the table. She took the seat next to him, crossing her slender pink legs and smoothing down her nightgown. It was an afterthought that she probably should have considered getting dressed beforehand - she was only galloping along in a short, frilly, maybe even see through in areas silk nightie around three older boys, albeit one was Shadow. He looked to be in too much pain to consider copping a feel. But then again, he never struck her as the type to do such things anyways.

Head still in his hands, he grunted. "Faker will be faker. I can't believe you let him sleep in your apartment," he stated.

"He's not that bad, Shadow," she blushed a little as she continued. She was still replaying the kiss in her head; she figured it'd be on repeat for a while. It wasn't the most romantic setting in the world - in her apartment, near Knuckles' drunken vomit, her half dressed - but it was just so Sonic that she didn't care. He was careless and catching any drift of him was heart stopping. "He's getting better," she explained softy, her voice carefully controlled in case any certain blue hedgehogs were eavesdropping. She didn't put it past him.

"He has a blatant disregard for your feelings," Shadow said. The Ibuprofen clearly hadn't kicked in yet. He was still irritable.

Amy placed her small hands over his larger, boyish pair. Her hands were cool and soothing, gentle and ginger and dainty in appearance. He often wondered why everything she did had to be so gosh darned _charming_. She lowered his hands and smiled softly, her satiny lips positioning carefully. She was an expert at smiling now. "Shadow," she began to reason, "Sonic's just confused. I know that. He's _always_ been confused. He's just coming to terms with things later than he probably should have."

He leaned forward, his forehead nearing hers. "At what cost, though?"

She stroked down the side of his face lightly, impishly. "I'm fine, Shads. I'm a trooper. I've always been."

And even though she looked so sure about it, he still couldn't forget the night she came to his house crying over the news of Sonic hooking up with another girl. Amy was too forgiving for her own good sometimes. Her generous and kind, maternal nature and the gripping urge to nurture and love everything was getting in the way of seeing reality. It was getting in the way of moving on from a boy who was quite possibly the worst choice for a girl like her. Amy was stability. She was beautiful. She was warm and kind and the nicest person he'd met since Maria - and she was wasting herself on a boy who was too chicken to come to terms with his feelings towards her after nine years.

She was a trooper. But maybe in all the wrong ways.

He grabbed her hands and moved them from his face to a hold in the table. It was nice having someone to come to like Amy. She was so easy to fall back into. Dating her wasn't the worst choice he had ever made. She just wasn't romantically inclined to him and vise versa. There was no heartbreak in the break up. It was completely mutual. It wasn't Amy's love that he was after, it was her friendship.

"I don't trust him," he confessed. Amy gave him a saccharine smile; this wasn't new news to her.

She kissed his knuckles attentively, like a mother calming her young son before a thunderstorm. "I'm a big girl now," she reasoned and looked him in the eye. "You don't have to trust him. You just have to trust me."

Amy Rose was smarter than she let on. It was refreshing to know that underneath all of the perfume and beauty that she was showered in so often there was a brain. A curious brain but a strong one. Maybe Amy was the best thing for Sonic, but Shadow was quite sure Sonic was the worst thing for her.

She slid in a new subject warily. "Hey, how're things with Rouge? I heard that things got a little... heated...?"

He could tell she was being extra careful about her wording. It was no secret that the rosette wasn't fond of his new girlfriend. What had she called Rouge once? A - A coquette?

"She got what she wanted so desperately," he admitted. After a long period of silence and his hand clenching around Amy's, it was clear to her that that was about as much from him she'd get on the subject without further prying.

Instead, she took a different approach. Curiosity was nipping at her neck, after all.

"What does it feel like?" she asked, her muzzle dampening with a fresh new blush. "I-I mean-"

He chuckled a little. "Rose, I don't think sex feels the same for guys as it does for girls. You'd have to ask Rouge about it.. and I don't remember much anyways. I blacked out - is that the word for it?" Shadow was uninformed in the subject matter. Amy found it oddly adorable how he'd never really been that drunk before. Probably because of the mindset and ideals Maria had set upon him those 60-ish years ago.

Amy nodded at him and he slunk back in his chair, retreating his hands from hers and stuffing them into his pockets. "I feel betrayed," he revealed.

The rosy rascal appeared animated and was clearly bitting back words. He gave her a nod of approval, ready for her opinions and not necessarily facts. Amy was sharp tongued and was quickly trying to hide it, though Shadow knew that was one thing about Amy that'd probably never change - it was her first and most obvious fault. "She's a sex shark, Shadow - if she stops moving she does. I don't think she can really control it. I really think you need to confront her about it, though. I'm sure you didn't use a condom.."

A condom.

Pregnancy. His own pride was suffering too much to let him see the bigger picture until Amy painted it.

Shadow leaned his head back and grunted. _Fuck._

Amy smiled sympathetically. "It'll be okay, Shadow. I mean, there has to be something you saw in her before, right? You'll work it out! And even if you don't, it's no loss," Amy spat before continuing under her breath. "She's a whore."

"She's my girlfriend," he stated.

Amy retreated, looking guilty and apologetic over the whore remark. She had too strong of opinions about Rouge. She did have redeeming factors, she supposed. Maybe Amy was jealous?

She shook her head. _I'm not jealous of that big boobed floozy. I have way more class than that._

Standing up, she put on her best smile and tried to appear calm. She didn't want to insult Shadow's girlfriend right in front of him. To Cream or Sonic? Sure, she'd express her concerns. But not to Shadow. Not when he had a monster hangover. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet slowly. He gave her a questioning glance. "Here," she murmured. "You can take a nap in my room if you're afraid of facing Rouge yet."

"I'm not afraid."

She lead him out of the kitchen door, ignoring Sonic's call as they walked out hand in hand. "No, you're not afraid of anything," she teased cutely. "I mean, who'd want to face her anyways?"

* * *

**Finally, an update!**

**I feel like this is well overdo, so I'm sorry. One scene in here is a doozy and the other is kind of lacking. Sorry! Not many characters in this chapter, I really wanted to sort out the Shadow/Sonic/Amy situations going on right now. Poor Knux is still out cold.**

**Next chapter focusses more on Tails, Cream, Rouge and Knuckles. There's actually a lot with Cream and Rouge coming up, and after Amy's 17th birthday party her storyline is sort of put on the back burner a bit. Well.. more than it is now.**


	7. Pretense

**Chapter 7**

Pretense

* * *

He didn't come home that night.

He didn't even _call_.

Poor Tails was sitting on the edge of his seat, nerves prickling against the inside of his throat. It was the itch he couldn't scratch. He felt pathetic, sitting there like a worried wife and wondering if Sonic was coming home - or even okay. He knew it was a mistake to let him go out to club Rouge. _He's probably passed out somewhere in the arms of some girl,_ Tails though grumpishly. _I thought he was done with that. He really seemed to be hesitant around women now, like he was guilty or something..._

_...but Amy..._

His expression hardened.

Was Amy his next conquest?

In terms of personality and friendliness, he had nothing against Amy. She was one of his oldest friends - and Sonic, too, actually. The three and Knuckles had known each other almost forever - and when she wasn't doting after his big brother she was nice to be around. She gave awesome Christmas presents. She always shared her baked goods with him first and was sweet. It wasn't until Sonic began blowing him off without realizing it to go hang around with girls that he became bothered by her. And now it seemed like she was the next soul he'd attach himself to for a week or so and then blow off for another.

Or worse; maybe Amy was the real deal. Maybe Amy was the one he'd want to spend the rest of his days with. Maybe Amy'd be the one to finally slow him down. He'd seen the chemistry, the sparks. It was possible.

...But then he thought of Amy and seriously doubted that she'd be dumb enough to let herself get that drunk. It was obvious that she was very much in love with him, but to get drunk and then lose her virginity in the same night to him? It was highly unlikely. No, Amy'd be a long term relationship rather than a fling. She had that morality and air about her to maybe make him think twice about simply messing with her.

Plus there was always the fact that Amy wasn't old enough to drink yet. To be fair, neither was Sonic but he still managed to get into clubs. Another year and he'd be fine, but Amy was pushing 17 in a few days... oh! He'd forgotten to get her a present. Tails marinated the thought for a while. What would he get her?

While distracted with the guilty thought that he should probably get Amy a gift - even if he was immensely jealous of all the attention Sonic gave to her as of late - he didn't notice a certain blue blur try and sneak his way through the door. He knew he was late. He knew he should have called, but he was busy at the time trying to balance lugging Knuckles around and eavesdropping on Shadow and Amy. He hadn't made out anything that they said - he just knew that they were sitting closer than normal friends and she had taken her hand into his. He was more than a little suspicious that something was going on there.

But he didn't like her._ Nope. _He was just curious. Yeah.

It was only the subtle clicking of the door that brought Sonic to Tails' attention. Sonic turned to see his younger brother figure giving him a stern, lecturing look, appearing more like his naggy wife than his best friend. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick!"

Sonic winced and walked over, ruffling the kit's fur atop his head. "Got drunk. Ames' house was nearby. I thought she called, sorry."

Tails grumbled a bit but didn't have it in him to remain angry at the guy. It was the more responsible thing to do than to try and stumble back to the workshop, he internally lamented. He almost mentioned that it wasn't Amy's duty to play mother but let it slide. If the subject as on the model too long Tails was afraid Sonic'd get that glossy look in his eye and get all nostalgic, not to mention majorly distracted.

_I can't believe how selfish I am,_ Tails thought guiltily. _Maybe he really likes her._

"Oh, okay," he answered lightly, watching his tone. "Are you okay?"

Sonic sent a lazy wink his way and plopped himself on the couch. "Damage's not bad; hangover's kinda minor and I haven't barfed yet, unlike Knux. All over Amy's carpet! You should have seen her face!" it was clear that after the ordeal Sonic was ready to laugh it off. He conveniently left out the part where Amy had kissed him.

The kiss was still way too confusing to him. Up until then, he was pretty sure that dating her would always be out of the question. Any physical attraction he felt to her was presumably a natural male reaction, especially with her modeling for bikini advertisements every now and again. But the kiss was something else; the buss brought more feelings bubbling over the friend zone than he'd ever thought it would. Kissing her wasn't supposed to be sensual. Kissing her wasn't supposed to be sexy.

Kissing his number one fan wasn't supposed to be _good_, period. He always thought that a relationship wouldn't work between them because he didn't hold substantial feelings for her aside from "oh, she's a nice piece of pink ass", but no kiss had ever felt that nice. Not with any of the girls he had flung with. Not with any of the exotic women he'd met along his journeys - a kiss with Amy Rose, the same girl he saved during the Little Planet ordeal, shouldn't have been that fascinating. She was young, naive, mischievous - still a child in so many ways, and yet the way she'd kissed him was wiser beyond her years.

The kiss got him thinking. Probably more than he found comfortable and normal, judging by the nervous twitching in his leg muscles. He wanted to run, to and where he didn't know. He was afraid it was to her. He was afraid it was away from her. He was afraid of her.

_Get your head on straight. Tails is right there!_

"Her carpet...?" Tails was picturing a livid Amy Rose. The thought was daunting, to say the least. I wasn't that he disliked - he actually thought Amy to be very sweet and considerate. She and him shared the same left behind feeling at times; but Amy angry? The thought was blood chilling. Amy Rose was stronger than she appeared physically - she was much more than just pretty and sweet. Every rose had its thorn.

Sonic snorted, eager to get his mind off of thoughts of kissing the rosette. Knuckles' misfortune seemed like the perfect distractor. "Right? She was beyond furious, man. Know what's really weird, though?"

"What?"

The blue hedgehog leaned in, his elbows on his knees and back slanting slightly into a more comfortable position. He felt his back crack into place and grumbled just slightly - the floor wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world. Still, though, it was a better option than possibly spooning with the rosy rascal. Especially now that they'd kissed; he didn't know where his feelings lay. Still... there was a certain need to impress her. There had always been that nipping urge to show off to Amy. He liked his ego stroked and Amy actually seemed to enjoy helping him get his fix.

Maybe that was why he was suddenly so eager to help the girl out, to show her that he did care more than he let on. Maybe the kiss had triggered something; maybe he was tired of running scared? Or maybe he was just ready to accept the fact that the Amy Rose of his present wasn't the Amy Rose of his past. His favorite little fangirl, his bugbear, his stalker, his belle - she was growing up and he was terrified of being left behind. She was supposed to be the one staring at his retreating back and not the other way around.

"Amy's turning seventeen," he started. There wasn't really a way to start off the tangent without sounding interested in her. "Like, soon. Really soon, and I don't know if anyone's going to throw her a party. Can you imagine how upset she'll be if nobody remembers aside from Shadow again this year? She'll be crushed!"

Tails knew where this was going. However, he wasn't so sure how he felt on the matter. Any sneaking suspicions that maybe this conversation wouldn't revolve around her was smashed. Still, though, he wasn't opposed to the conversation. She deserved a good birthday. "You want to throw her a birthday party?" Tails' expression turned goofy. He could already count all of the ways the situation could go wrong. "Sonic, do you even know how to plan a birthday party? Who's gonna bake the cake? Not to mention inviting people, you don't know all of her friends.."

The hedgehog appeared to be staring the kitsune down. Was he actually doubting that he could do it? Tails never doubted him! Maybe he hadn't noticed that his little brother had grown up so much; there he was, giving Sonic a goofy smile and heavily implying that he didn't have what it took to plan a good birthday party for a seventeen year old girl. Well, he'd show him! He knew exactly what it was like to be seventeen - after all, he'd been that age three years ago! Granted, he was a boy and she was an Amy, but how different could they be?

It was odd how different his two yes men had become with age. They were both becoming more independent and seemed to need him less and less, yet they still held on to him with vice grips.

Was he even prepared to let them go though? Either of them? He wasn't so sure.

Sonic nudged the kid with his foot and then sat back, arms behind his head. There was a time and place for nostalgic thoughts, and planning a coming of age birthday party wasn't one of them. "As long as I show up she'll be thrilled. Don't worry so much!" he exclaimed. It wasn't a lie. As stubborn as Amy was nowadays about him, he knew she still had that soft spot for him. There was no way a crush that big was going away for a while. Didn't she kiss him yesterday anyways? There was proof enough. If she liked him enough to kiss him, she wanted him at her birthday party. He was important to her.

Sonic laughed and then hopped to his feet, the lively jolt in his eye returned to full bravado. "And how hard can baking a cake be?" He was slipping back into routine, back into his comfort zone of airy playfulness and boldness. He could do anything, couldn't he? He was Sonic the Hedgehog, for Pete's sake!

Tails was fully prepared to thank whatever God was listening that the playful, joking air was back between them. It'd been a while since the last time they really just hung out and forgot their troubles - and girls, for that matter. Although their conversation revolved around Amy's birthday party, the fox could still tell his older brother was fulling invested on the conversation. His mind wasn't anywhere else for once. Just the mere thought of trying to bake a cake with Sonic was both frustrating and amusing to him. When had they ever baked together in their many years of friendship?

"You'd need to know how to work an oven," Tails advised.

The two brothers locked eyes and in that moment everything was understood. It didn't matter that Sonic was intent on throwing his possible belle a killer birthday party or that Tails had been upset with him mere moments before. They had each other's backs. With their momentary brotherhood restored, Sonic brushed by his brother, shouted "race ya!" and was in the kitchen before Tails even had the time to react. He laughed, the feeling wondrous and shook his head. _Sonic. _He needed this; after all of the second guessing he'd been doing on their relationship, a nice bonding time with his big bro was well appreciated and accepted.

"No fair!" Tails called before racing in after his brother. He came in to the sight of Sonic holding a cake pan, eyes murky with confusion and curiosity. He seemed to be contemplating the ideology of putting batter in an oven and then taking it out when it was solid. He looked at his younger brother and laughed out loud, still holding the pan with a hold of scrutiny. Tails was half afraid Sonic'd end up bashing his head off of the pan, and the other half of him was concerned as to how he found the pan in the first place. The kitsune only had one cake pan in his house; he wasn't aware Sonic knew of its whereabouts. It was impressive. It also meant that Sonic snooped around while Tails was in the garage. _As usual,_ he snorted. _Why am I surprised?_

_Maybe things won't change too much after all if he ends up getting with Amy_, Tails thought as the two of them dropped into hysterical giggles. They sounded less like grown (or growing, on Tails' end of the brolationship) men and more like giddy school girls discovering a secret crush. It was refreshing, to say the least. _I mean, if he's going to act like this if he ends up with her then it's better than nothing_. _I'm lucky to have him as my brother at all._

_...I still miss him._

Chuckling down at the younger, the blue one stood at his full height and replaced the cake pan where he found it - in the tallest cabinet on top of the stove. Once it was safe back in its hideaway place, he closed the oak cabinet and hopped up to sit on the counter. In their past, Tails had reprimanded him of sitting on the counter - he made food on that counter, after all, and the last thing he needed was Sonic's butt all over it! However, as time went on it was clear to the kit that nothing was going to change, and the defiant shouts at his older brother to get down faded into a simple disproving shake of his head. Sonic wasn't easily tamed. He half felt bad for Sonic's mother; raising a young, truculent Sonic must have been a doozy!

Staring at his best friend's expression, it was suddenly very clear to him that he was dead set on the birthday party thing. It meant something to him, whether Sonic was ready to admit it or not. Amy meant something to him; he had a feeling Sonic had always sort of known that but tried his hardest to ignore it, to make it go away. This birthday party was no different. He'd be a terrible brother for trying to ruin this for him. And hey, who was to say planning the birthday party with him wouldn't be a great way to spend time with him again?

Tails leaned against the counter opposite the blue blur and swished his namesakes against his ankles. "She'd really love a beach party."

* * *

Nobody ever left after a morning with her.

Nobody.

What did Shadow think he was doing?

Her first reaction was rage; naturally, she was angry that he had just up and left before she had woken up. Did he know what it was like to wake up to an empty bed after offering yourself up to someone sexually? Granted that he was drunk and she had sort of forced herself on him... but didn't he realize how much she wanted to be with him like that? Wasn't that what all relationships were made of?

Every guy she had ever dated wanted nothing more out of her than sexual intercourse. Wasn't that normal, though? Wasn't sex normal in a relationship? There had to be a reason why he didn't want to get so personal with her. Was she not pleasing?

It was only a moment of self consciousness, however - she lifted the sheet from her form just enough to get a glance at her gratuitous amount of cleavage. She slid a hand up, along her sinuous thighs, past her shapely hips to grab a handful of breast. She was pneumatic, to say the least - the palm of her hand couldn't encase the entire breast by itself. Surely there was no reason why Shadow wouldn't be pleased by the sight of her. She was _gorgeous_, even she could admit it. An accidental tweak of her nipple told her that she was fairly hedonist. Even Shadow was dumbly male enough to notice that, wasn't he?

So what was it about her that turned him off so much? Even when he was drunk he was resistant.

Didn't he love her?

...Did she even love him?

With a groan, the bosomy bat rolled onto her back, nose pointed skyward. Was it really worth it? A single mercy fuck to calm her twitching desires which, in turn, caused Shadow to turn tail and run? He was uncomfortable over the entire thing. She distinctively remembered him telling her "no" as she pulled him up the stairs. Sure, his mouth was saying one thing, but his body was saying another. There was no denying his arousal, no denying the fact that he was perfectly capable of preparing for the main event. It wasn't that he wasn't able to screw either, because she was; they both had been curious on the matter, as he wasn't a hedgehog birthed from a woman and was made from science. Maybe Shadow just had zero sex drive. Maybe he had no desire for sex period. Maybe he just didn't like her all that much.

She scrunched up her perfect little nose at the thought. Not like her? On several occasions he had shown to be fond and overall grateful for her and her friendship. He'd said plenty of times that nobody understood him and listened to him quite like Amy and herself had; but clearly Rouge didn't understand quite like he thought she did, because if she did then she wouldn't be in this mental whirlwind!

And what was with him spending so much time with his ex girlfriend-? Not that she was _jealous_ or anything. It was just curious. Did he prefer spending time with her over Rouge? It was no mystery who was the more sexually appealing of the two; Rouge took the cake, no questions asked. It was hard for anyone to be more sexually attractive than a seductive woman like herself. There'd be no other reason that he'd be so interested in an ex other than wanting her back, right

She was furious! She was simply vexed, she was -!

She was crying.

_**Crying**__._

The mere thought struck her as startling. Rouge the Bat was not the type of woman to cry over such frivolous things; even in her youth she was emotionally sound and stronger than other girls (and boys, mostly) her age. Even the thought of crying over something so stupid, so tiresome, so absolutely trying was enough to polarize her tears. She was upset at herself for crying and absolutely incensed at Shadow for the ability to bring her to such a low. Utterly ashamed of herself, she let her thoughts selfishly stray to something less troublesome - anything, anything at all that would bring her from feeling sorry for herself, of all things.

There had to be something that was pushing her to the depths of wallowing in her own pity. Woe her, her boyfriend didn't enjoy sleeping with her. Woe her, her boyfriend might still have feelings for his ex girlfriend (which she mostly still doubted, actually - who'd dump her for _that_?) It couldn't be a sudden burst of self consciousness. Of course not; Rouge was completely comfortable in her own skin. She was almost disgustingly ravishing, especially with her lips painted as red as they had been the night before.

The bat girl closed her eyes sluggishly and replayed the events of the night before. Surely there was a red flag, something that could be potentially bothersome enough for her to be feeling so terrible. It came in shards, staggering images; the glass Shadow drank from, the itchiness of the tag on the back of her dress, the dark look from violet eyes, the -

Knuckles.

She was suddenly up like a rocket, sitting up in the bed with her legs still tangled in satin sheets. What was he even _doing _there? Wasn't he supposed to be off on his island protecting his wife?

For whatever reason, that blazing echidna was at her club, in her _domain_. The thought brought upon a certain burning bubbling in the pit of her stomach, as if someone had poured scolding lead into the depths of her insides. Cursing the mere thought of his existence, she played the scene over and over in her head, searching for a bit of meaning. Was it the haunting look of sheer despondency that had her acting so uncharacteristic?

No. It had to be Shadow. She at least was sure of some sort of feelings towards Shadow anyways. Knuckles, on the other hand? Knuckles was confusing. He brought upon feelings of sheer fury and made her damp between the legs at the same time. It was mind boggling to her. He wasn't even a pleasant person, really; he was particularly gruff and hard to deal with on a good day. And yet, she was second guessing herself and her logic - it wasn't like _Shadow _was always a very pleasant person either, and she was in a relationship with him.

_It's time to come clean,_ she thought hesitantly.

She squinted towards the window, where the sunlight was beginning to peak in through the restraints of the curtains. Day time...

_It's time to stop laying around in bed all day, thinking about that damn echidna and get something done! _she scolded herself. She would not become one of those girls! She refused it profusely. She was a strong independent women, and her personal daily goal was set into place; get things done.

And that started with getting out of bed. Stretching her legs over the side of the bed, she practically yanked and forced herself into an upright position. She yawned fully, stretching and moaning as the morning briskness helped in convincing her dress herself. It wasn't a far walk to the dresser anyways, and once she had on her undergarments from the night before it was just a slimming purple dress she had to pull over her head. _I could do for a shower,_ she thought bluntly, already deciding against it as there were already too many things to be done that day. Bills needed to be sorted and paid, the club needed cleaning, employees that needed a swift kick to the butt... the thought that her schedule was booked for the day chided her into a quicker-than-normal strut down the stairs, her decent not nearly as graceful or sensual as it usually was.

Usually after a night alone with a boy in the private cavern of her night club, the employees usually found that their boss was glowing the next day. It was when she scowled at the bartender that they knew something had went wrong, something hadn't gone exactly to plan.

Said bartender - a raccoon with chalky fur and particularly dark eyes - seemed to be the only one with enough bravado to mention something to the boss lady. "Rouge?" she questioned.

She was greeted with a startlingly serious blue stare. Rouge wasn't the nicest girl in the world, but certainly she knew how to be civil and fair. Needless to say, this was a new side to her boss. "What?" the bat snapped, her hand combing over her hair; the usually very well kept 'do was looking windswept and knotted. Had she taken the time to do her hair? Had she even looked in the mirror since she woke up?

The raccoon was suddenly looking meeker by the moment. "Never mind," she muttered quickly, taken aback by her boss' foul mood. She knew better than to try and make sense of that, and she valued her job far too much to put it on the line in an attempt to cheer _that _up.

Rouge appeared to want to say something but backed out at the last moment. Deciding against questioning the worker's motives, she gave a simple command of "scrub the tables" before sorting through the register. The vixen made the fatal mistake of looking up; and there on the bar sat the same glass Shadow had been drinking out of before she pulled him upstairs.

The _catalyst_.

The dreaded bottle. Suddenly she was seething again, feeling everything that she did the moment she opened her eyes mere minutes ago and discovered that her boyfriend had ran with his tail between his legs. Who was he, Sonic? The bottle. Her mistake. His enemy. It felt cold beneath her finger tips and before she could even help herself she was thrusting it towards the ground, a sharp shriek escaping her normally very well trained mouth.

It smashed against the ground, causing enough commotion for the surrounding workers to jump in alarm. Shards scattered themselves across the floor, the impact of the glass hitting the tiled floor at such a force impressive even for Rouge.

Rouge smiled. Whatever ill feelings she had towards the night had been suctioned into the bottle, and now that it had been properly _disposed _of...

"Pick that up, Ruby," she commanded. The poor girl jumped to it at once.

And just as Rouge was turning to leave, the envelope of the previous night's profits tucked safely beneath her arm, she was suddenly face to face with the floppy eared bunny she had met on few occasions. The bat stopped dead in her tracks, having nearly ran the skinny girl over. Rouge was fairly certain the rabbit girl could be snapped in half if she was stared at too fiercely. What was her name anyways? Carrie? Cammie? Christine?

The girl was definitely familiar - wasn't she the same girl that tagged around with Amy and that cat? Judgmental as always, she looked her once over: skinny ankles, long fallow hair in a braid, big brown doe eyes. The girl was cute. Anything more than that?The former double agent didn't know. She was young though, and she had time to grow into her skin.

But what did a good little girl like her want from a girl like Rouge? They were immensely different.

"Miss Rouge?" she squeaked; it was clear that the bunny girl was out of her element in Rouge's domain. A good little girl like her would never normally stride into a night club, even after she was of age. Something told Rouge the girl before her had very different ideas of fun. But if she was so uncomfortable standing around booze and half dressed women, clearly whatever bone she had to pick with Rouge was pretty serious. Then again... the girl didn't look angry. If anything, she looked worried, upset, nervous, antsy - as if she'd seen a ghost.

The ivory bat shifted her weight carefully. "Let's talk in my office, bun."

* * *

"Thank you for making time to talk to me," Cream said gratefully, sitting herself in the red arm chair attentively. She crossed one long leg over another as a proper lady should; her mother had crammed manners into her at a young age and they stuck. She watched Rouge sit on her desk and do the same.

Rouge smirked a little and leaned forward, a little more than intrigued. The brightness of her blue eyes were startling, even for the foggy look she had thanks to the minor hangover she woke up with. Unlike Shadow, Rouge was very much used to the haze that alcohol brought. Resting her elbow on her knee, Rouge pressed her index finger against her chin, drawing all attention to her carefully carved and painted ruby nails. Right down to her fingertips, Cream could tell this woman knew her way about elegance and grace. With her sensual strutting came grandeur and her hips demanded attention. When Rouge talked, people listened.

When Rouge talked, boys listened.

Cream let out a shaky breath. She wondered what Tails was doing. Was he thinking of her? ...Was he thinking of Amy?

She hated herself for even thinking illy of Amy; the girl never asked Tails to fall in love with her. It wasn't her best friend's fault Sonic's little brother had eyes for her. The two had spent a lot of time together during Sonic's earlier adventures. Tails and Amy had known Sonic the longest out of everyone - and that meant they knew each other pretty well too. Maybe during one of Sonic's moments where he ran off Tails and Amy bonded. Had he ever kissed her..?

Cream's nose bunched up as she pouted. The thought bothered her: her best friend and her crush kissing. It'd surely break her little heart.

It didn't go unnoticed, however. Cream's sudden change in demeanor was intriguing, to say the least. Something was on the rabbit's mind. Something that was dark and dirty, perhaps? Rouge leaned forward more, a smirk on her newly painted pink lips. Maybe this day wasn't so terrible after all. A little gossip never hurt anyone, and judging by the morning she had it was prime time for a little digging and investigating; the two things Rouge the Bat did best.

"Let's skip the formalities. What's bothering you?" she asked casually. She kept her tone in check. The last thing she wanted to do was scare the girl away. Rouge had many years of working for GUN in her repertoire. She knew how to play people, and this innocent little child was no different.

She could see the insecurities opening up in Cream's eyes. "It's Tails," she confessed, her voice suddenly very full and thick. "I just - I like him a lot and he's always paying so much attention to Amy and.. figured... you're the most successful flirt I know," she blushed.

Rouge didn't know wether to take the last part as a compliment or an insult. However, the rest of Cream's divulgence? Like taking candy from a baby. This was going to be easy. A little bit of girl talk and advice was like mother's milk to Rouge. She'd lead the girl in the same direction she took.

She gave a smile on her full lips and moved her finger to slice through the air chicly. It was the baton that began conducting her speech. "Oh, so it's boy trouble," she began rascally. Roguishly, she sauntered off of her perch atop the desk and stood before the blushing girl. With a quick swipe of her eyes Rouge came to the conclusion that Cream the Rabbit was in her early teens. Thirteen, fourteen maybe - still too old for sex but not too old to start flaunting what she had. The bosom factor wasn't with the doe for sure. She was just beginning to grow into breasts. Flaunting what little she had would get her no where with that fox boy for sure, especially if he had eyes for Sonic's little lover girl.

Wait, Tails had eyes for Amy?

Rouge's mischievous grin deepened. Oh, the game was on. She knew a way to cheer up and get her mind off of that knucklehead for sure now! Messing with the rosy rascal was one way to settle her nerves. It felt justified - after all, her boyfriend had run to Amy after finally losing his virginity to Rouge. It was more than a little suspicious. What was going on there? Shadow wasn't the type to cheat, and Amy wasn't the type to move on, but the fact remained that she was the first person he ran to. If messing with the girl and possibly kicking Sonic's tush into gear was an option, Rouge was sure to take it. Game on.

"Honey, you can't expect him to pay attention to you dressing like _that_," she lowered her eyes. Cream pulled herself tighter together, shoulders taunting closer to her. She became rigid with anxiety. Blue eyes were pleased at the sight; she had her squirming in her seat, uncomfortable with the entire situation. She was feeling self conscious. It was going to make the entire job so much easier. "It you want a boy to pay attention to you, you have to give him something in return."

Dark chocolate eyes danced around Rouge's gaze. "So.. I'm really sorry, I don't follow. Could you elaborate?"

And for a moment Rouge almost felt bad for leading the young girl in the wrong direction. Adolescence was tough, and Cream was at a tender age. Fourteen was difficult. She no longer had the body of the child and at the same time she didn't have the body of a woman. Hormones were rushing. She had a crush on a boy who might have a thing for an older woman. Was it even right to lead her on and send her in the wrong direction entirely? Was it right for Rouge to do it just to feel better about herself?

She'd feel bad about it later.

It wasn't like she was telling Cream to do anything different than she'd do herself. If Rouge liked a boy enough, she'd try to seduce him. It was the only way she'd ever known to get a boy to pay attention to her. It was the only way any guy paid attention for her. None of them respected her for her mind, even though Rouge was found to be a pretty bright woman. No, all they wanted out of her was to cop a feel.

"Don't underestimate the power of body language," she explained simply. Cream perked up in comprehension. "Show a little leg. Wear some booty shorts. You have long legs. Boys like that."

Cream's expression wavered. "Oh, I really don't think Tails is like that..."

"All boys are the same," Rouge muttered darkly. Cream jumped. The bat suddenly looked very upset and anguished; were there some skeletons in her closet that Cream didn't know about? "They only want one thing out of you, and once you give it they leave. You just have to find the right boy who won't leave once you put out."

The bunny flushed deeply. _Put out?_ But she was way too young for that, and so was Tails-! Maybe Rouge was drawing upon personal experience, but even so it was too mature to apply to her situation, wasn't it? Cream was growing steadily less worried about her situation and more concerned for Rouge, who appeared to be hiding something huge and refused to let it go. Anything that made a girl who was usually so collected like Rouge make that look with her eyes was serious.

Of course, Cream knew Rouge's pride would never let her divulge into the subject. Especially to Cream, who she hardly knew.

"Don't you think I'm a little young for that?" Cream asked sensibly, trying desperately to pull the conversation away from such topics. She was celibate. She was pure. She was wholesome. She was fourteen years old!

The bat gave her such a no-nonsense look that she had to sit up taller. Rouge was completely serious now. Her usual taunting tone had melted into a hazy warning signal. "Why else is Sonic suddenly so interested in Amy, Cream? Amy's not a little girl anymore. Amy has a body. Sonic's noticed," she explained bluntly. "He wants to have sex with her, and once he does he's going to drop her like a bad itch. I don't care if you tell her that. Someone needs to."

The bunny's eyes were plastered wide open. Rouge was hurt. Rouge was telling it like it was. Needless to say, 'like it was' was scaring her. The bunny was nervous over the entire situation.

Rouge went on, however. "And Tails is noticing it now too. That's why he's not giving you a second glance. He's too busy watching Amy's jiggle factor. Something you don't have," she mentored. She slid back up to her perch on the table, looking imposing and wise again. For some reason, it was easier to believe her when she sat upon her desk in such a way. She looked powerful and executive. "You need a competitive edge. Love's a battlefield, kiddo."

A competitive edge. Over her sister? Over Rouge? Highly unlikely. Cream stared down at her lap. Just as she was starting to feel a little better about herself...

...it was better to be aware of such things than live with her head in the clouds, she thought. Twitching her thumbs and twiddling them together, Cream spoke softly and regretfully. "Thank you, Rouge," she said honestly. _Thank you for opening my eyes._

And just as quickly as she had appeared, the doe stood up, curtsied, and excused herself. She was up and out of the club that was causing her such discomfort quicker than Sonic ran when he saw Amy. Rouge watched her on the way out, a little jealous at the cuteness of her fluffy little tail that poked out of her dress. The wholesomeness worked on her. She had that going for her, at least.

Nothing she said was a lie; it was just merely all personal speculation. Rouge wasn't blind. She saw the rosy rascal grow up. She saw the way suddenly Sonic was paying so much attention to her. Were they all that blind?

_And Shadow's no different,_ she thought darkly, suddenly back on the subject of her own situation. _He played scared, got what he wanted and moved onto the next one. I'm just as stupid as Amy and Cream are when it comes to the game of love._

_I'm pathetic._

Each carefully manicured nail tapped against the wood desk. The clicking and tapping lulled her mind into ease. All wasn't lost. If she wasn't good at the game, the only way to get better was to practice; she knew **just **the guy for the job.

* * *

...Aaah, remember when I said I'd update more frequently?

This chapter hit me like a sack of bricks. First I froze up at the first scene. Writing just Sonic and Tails together isn't something I'm solid in, and then again with the Rouge waking up scene. I need to get better portraying these characters, and that's the reason for the overlapping story lines in Moonstruck.

Because this chapter took so long to bust out, I tried to make it a little longer than usual. My brain hurts. My face hurts. I'm not very good at this fanfiction thing anymore.

Next chapter will come faster and easier, however - it'll probably be written better, too, because I'm really looking forward to it. Next chapter isn't filler so much. It's Amy's 17th birthday and **shit goes down**!

As usual, comments and suggestions are encouraged but not mandatory.


	8. In Season

Chapter 8

In Season

* * *

Sonic the Hedgehog was playing footsies with Amy Rose.

The date was only to distract her long enough for Tails and Cream to prepare the beach for her party. That's what he was telling himself, anyways. He couldn't exactly tell her that, though; not if it was a surprise party, which it was. She had to remain in the dark over the entire situation if the party was going to have the effect he wanted it to. She had to believe he was really taking her out on a date.

And so, it was because he couldn't really say no that he was stuck sitting across from the rosette with her foot prodding against his. The tip of her foot pressed against his and she blushed, the vibrant pinkness incandescent across her nose. His foot pushed back, and then hers dove back in for the count. He was thankful that they were sitting in her kitchen and not out in the open; surely citizens would think he was sweet on her. They'd assume they were an item when they weren't - he was just taking one for the team. The prickling feeling in his stomach that flourished whenever her foot tapped against his was only because he was so hungry and was trying to make his food last as long as he could. The little warm vibes she was sending with her eyes wasn't anything. It didn't mean anything to him.

Her ideal date was playing footsies with him under a table, drinking lemonade and eating pasta salad. A short smile waged itself across his lips; she was easy to please. At least that much of the situation was tolerable.

It wasn't even that playing footsie with her was intolerable, as she was gentle about it. She hadn't missed and she hadn't kicked him in the shins yet. They were playful love taps, trying to convince him to join in on her childish antics. The whole thing was just cute, really, but he was still thinking about that blasted kiss in her living room and he was downright antsy. His legs were trembling under the table, twitching anxiously. Running would be easy. Staying was the true challenge.

Maybe he'd get lucky and she wouldn't bring up the buss.

"Are you too warm? I can open a window," she offered sweetly, speaking only once the straw from her lemonade was off of her lips.

It was with a twinge of timid regret that he drew his eyes away from the lucky tube of plastic. Days before he had been kissing the very same lips. In those short minutes he spent kissing her he had already memorized the taste of her mouth, the softness of her lips, the softness of _her_. She was entrancing. She was distracting. She was going to make this the hardest few hours of his life, wasn't she?

He leaned back in his chair fleetingly. He forced his gaze on the ceiling. For whatever he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. "I'm fine, Rosie," he teased lightly. Her childhood name was safe. Her childhood name didn't connote age and maturity; her childhood name didn't remind him of lips that tasted like a forbidden sugary confection and the feeling of her nightgown rushing through the creases between his fingers. Kissing her was like sneaking candy from his parents; wrong, dangerous and yet so sweet and delectable. He knew it'd cause trouble for him later - stealing candy would mean punishment from his parents or a cavity.

The way he was headed, he was exceedingly cautious of that impending cavity. This pink lollipop could rot his teeth out.

She pinkened more, her face turning engagingly sour at the mention of her old nick name. Amy was even cuter when she was upset. With her lower lip jutting out, she pouted at him like a child. The moistness of the inside of her lip caught his attention.

It was going to be a long date.

"Don't call me that," she pouted further and then stood up. He diverted his attention away from her and to his barely touched cup of lemonade. Amy leaned over the table and took his dish, and once she had hers as well she glided back to the kitchen. He caught sight of her on her way out. She appeared to be floating on air, simply elated. It was endearing how excited she was to be on the not-date with him.

She practically twirled back over to the table, the sundress she was wearing flying up along with her spins. He caught sight of her yellow bikini bottoms and shook his head at her as she erupted into giggles. She couldn't seem to keep herself together.

"Take it easy Amy," he chucked a little and went to grab a hold of her wrist. She jerked her hand once and suddenly he was holding her hand without entirely meaning to. Heat rushed to his face and he glanced up to see big green eyes looking at him fondly. The warmth and simple happiness radiated off of her looked like sun rays, warming his muzzle and bringing his blush to a new level entirely.

Her fingers slid into the places between his, lacing themselves and she gave a tug; he was on his feet and before her, looking down to try and figure out how he got himself into such a mess. There was no way he'd be able to escape without offending her or getting her all worked up, and he had to keep her in a good mood (it _was_ her birthday, after all!). At the same time, there was a careful wall that he had built ages ago that she was singlehandedly demolishing. Amy Rose was not to be flirted with or touched excessively. Amy Rose was not to be teased with the idea of a relationship that she couldn't have due to his incompetence and fleet footedness, and there he was anyways, holding hands with her and staring down at her big green eyes and not hating it at all like he should.

He didn't hate holding her hand, just like he didn't hate kissing her. What was he turning into?

_It's just because it's her birthday,_ he thought blankly as she pulled herself closer to him. The softness of her cheek, tempting as it was, rested against the curve of his shoulder. The interlacing of fingers was only unzipped for the sake of holding him around the back, for rubbing down his limp backspines and twirling her fingers in the fur on his back.

He had to remind himself again as the terrible urge to go places with the embrace plagued him again. _It's only for her birthday. After this, I go back to keeping her at a safe distance. _

But he had long lost the discretion between what was for her and what was for him. The lines were blurred, the careful distance between friendship and romance crossed the moment she kissed him. Before he was relatively at ease with his mind when it came to her; any curiosities about her were simply because Amy was growing up and he wasn't used to seeing his favorite little fangirl maturing into a young lady. Now, though, he wasn't so sure. Kissing her shouldn't have felt so gratifying. Holding her hand shouldn't have brought such a metaphorical blanket of satisfaction over his shoulders, across his chest, snuggled between his limbs.

"Let's go to the park," she whispered into the comfortable silence that lingered between them. The rose's lips felt like petals across his skin as she spoke. It tickled just slightly and earned a small smile out of him.

His hands, betraying him completely, rose to hug her lower back. "Let's not," he said fleetingly, knowing very well that on the trip to the park she'd catch sight of the beach. Then she'd know he was only trying to distract her, and if Amy discovered that she'd be more than just heartbroken. He'd probably be a big blue pancake with a 'tude.

Amy pouted up at him. "Buuut.."

He moved one hand from around her to poke her nose carefully. She focussed herself on the one finger; he had to chuckle at bit at her extreme concentration. "We can have plenty of fun here. I wanna wait until a little later, issat cool with you?"

"I gueeess..." she continued to pout. He couldn't help but laugh a little at her expression. Her reaction was to pout deeper and bore her look deeper into his eyes. "I wanted to go for a walk and hold hands."

_We're not boyfriend and girlfriend after one date,_ he wanted to say, but he held his tongue; that'd set her off for sure. He'd never been more uncomfortable in his life. Amy Rose wasn't his girlfriend.

...Was she?

No, no, she wasn't. One fake date didn't make it official, even if Amy thought it was real. Dating was something decided by both parties. She wasn't his girlfriend. _And she won't ever be,_ he thought adamantly. _No matter how pretty her eyes are or how nice kissing her felt. _

He was a sinking battleship. All he knew was that her pout was adorable.

"Hey, c'mon, perk up!" he pep talked, quirking a handsome smile at her and poking her on the nose once more. Her reaction was just as endearing as it had been the first time. "We can do something else until I feel like it, right? You have me all to yourself all day. There's gotta be something else you've always wanted to do with me that we can do in here, right?"

Amy looked up at him, big peridot eyes blazing with unmatched passion. For a moment he was afraid she'd kiss him again - and for another moment he was even okay with that, ready for it, and he'd welcome it heartily. The notion of kissing her again was appealing, as much as he tried to mask it. The riveting passion in her eyes didn't add up to kisses, however, as she merely brought him into another nearly bone crushing hug and giggled eagerly, hopes arisen. "You're the best, you know that?" she asked giddily. He could feel the warmth from her muzzle radiating off and soaking into his skin.

She was pretty with a burning blush sketched into her skin. The redness of her heat and the pinkness of her dazzling fur complimented one another lustrously. She was the meaning of intensity, of passion, of sheer romance, even outlined in her name and in her arms he felt incompetent, needy, useless; she was too much for him. He'd never live up to such expectations, even him: Sonic the Hedgehog. A name known by many, famous by sheer nerve and willpower to go against the norm and battle himself ragged, and he couldn't work up the nerve or the audacity to romance this girl right.

And when she let him go, looking up at him with those searing eyes as she always did, he knew why he couldn't love her. He wasn't ready. He wasn't enough. He wasn't able to treat her as he should, and his self conscious knew that. He wouldn't let himself love her. He wouldn't let himself have her.

But he did have actual feelings for her. The thought was prickling, like her giddy foot, urging him to take a part in her childish games. She was the temptation and his heart was ironclad, stoney, unmoving. He was hurting her. He would hurt her more.

"I've always wanted to build a blanket fort and then snuggle underneath. We could watch a movie.." she trailed off, collapsing in the thought of his uncertainty.

What she wasn't expecting, however, was his contagious grin. It popped out of literally no where, drawing him from his sudden serious stupor. "Only if I get to use the Pokemon blanket as my roof," he teased and literally dragged the younger girl into the living room with him.

* * *

"Here, let me help you."

The bunny looked up from what she was doing - positioning table cloths so that they were positioned _just_ in the middle - to see nervous gloved hands on the other side of the surface, pivoting the white cloth into place better. She smiled at him. "Tails, you're too much. Thank you."

The two of them had been setting up a portion of the beach for Amy's surprise 17th birthday bash for the better part of the day. The operation would have moved quicker had Sonic been around to help, but he was busy keeping Amy occupied, and there was nobody better suited for the job than he was. So it was just the two of them, together, that trudged down to the beach in khaki shorts and loose tee shirts, covered in hoodies to help with the early summer breeze, at 7 AM to begin setting up the shindig. They made polite chit chat at the beginning, both a little antsy - though Cream more than he, after Rouge tore her a new one.

Somewhere along the lines they'd begun to get more comfortable with the situation. After all, it was just going to be the two of them for the better part of the day, and they were bound to need each other's help at some point. They'd finally relaxed into their atmosphere, at complete comfort with one another. It was like they were old friends. They'd been melded back into friendship like the old days, back before Cream developed a crippling crush on him, back before Tails had fallen for her big sister, back before any of that drama - it was just the two of them helping out Sonic, acting like kids again and laughing about things of the old.

The younger looked around and inspected their work. Each table was decorated with a simple, lightweight white tablecloth with a single candle placed in the center. For the time being, they remained unlit; as the night went on and the sun slid from its perch in the sky, they'd be lighten up to illuminate and frame the party. Poles were put up around the perimeter and were decorated with strings of white lights, dangling across to connect each support pole in a twinkling, white cycle.

"She's going to be so happy," Cream admitted softly. She was smiling wistfully.

He laughed lightly in response. "I sure hope so! Sticking those poles in the sand and getting them to stay was a project..."

"Only the best for her, right?" she breathed regretfully. Alarmed, Tails looked to her. Just moments ago she was full of smiles and easy words, and the tone in her voice now was...

Cream was suddenly very stoic and serious, a peculiar thoughtful look replacing her normally very gentle or jovial expression. It wasn't a natural look at all for her; in all of their years as friends, Tails'd never seen that look on her face. She'd always been very happy, very upbeat and very, very optimistic. Needless to say, concern flooded him at the sight of her. He nudged her shoulder lightly and she was looking at him with those big doe eyes full of culpability. She looked like a scolded child, a kicked puppy - and the worst part was whatever she was upset over, she blamed herself completely.

Her chocolate eyes dove across his face, over his eyes, scanning his lips. She was searching for any kind of expression to tip her off on how she should be reacting to his sudden concern. "I know how you feel about her," she clarified pensively. "I won't tell Sonic or her. But..." she shuffled her feet in the sand, losing track of her toes in grains of the shore. "...you know she likes _him_, right?"

_How I feel about Amy?_

He looked like a deer in headlights, and for all of the wrong reasons. He wasn't embarrassed because he was hoarding some long kindled passion for his brother's longest flame. No, he felt caught for what nasty, unwarranted thoughts he'd been mentally pelting the bunny's best friend with. A sinking feeling dropped into his core; he squirmed in his skin. Now that the topic was brought up there was no avoiding it. He'd imagined he had to come clean about it eventually, but to Cream? The kit had imagined Sonic would be the first to hear of it.

First things first, though, he had to set her straight.

"Cream, I-" he began carefully.

He was interrupted, however, by the very same girl jumping out of her skin. She looked at him, tearing and looking very sorry for it. She was apologizing with her eyes, and the meaning was hitting home within him.

"Never mind, Tails, it doesn't matter. Who knows; maybe you're the best thing for her. She could use someone sweet like you," she squeaked.

Someone sweet like you. The sentence shook him, and the fragment sunk between his eyes, through his skull. He was very aware of her. She thought he was sweet?

With her shoulders suddenly very tense, she looked away from him. Nerves ablaze, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was so close to confrontation, so close to finally closing the door on all of her insecurities and concern over the situation and she was pulling away, running scared. Tearing past him, her legs skimmed across the sand, her feet moving easily through the loose grains of the ground below her as she bolted to the other side of the beach. She needed an excuse, a reason to get away, a reason to have suddenly made off and away from the confused boy staring at her from across the way. She pretended to observe the lights dangling off the pole before her, her long and skinny fingers pressing themselves against a single tiny bulb. Warm. It should have burnt more but it was comforting, and she knew if she jumped at all Tails'd be more worried about her than ever.

Then again, she wasn't exactly giving him reason not to be concerned. She wasn't making any sense at all. A deep sigh escaped her. Why was she so afraid of this, afraid of him? He was just Tails; he was just a boy, a boy that she'd known practically forever. They grew up together. They had to - when Amy took off after Sonic, Cream and Tails were left alone with one another.

"I'm not in love with Amy, if that's what you're thinking," he called from across the beach. The words literally fell out of his mouth, completely uncensored. It was unlike him, and yet as soon as it happened her composure reworked itself. His eyes rested on her. _She deserves the truth; someone does, anyways. She's a good place to start. _

Rigidly, ashamedly, the rabbit turned around. Her fawn fur looked pretty surrounded by the glowing white lights of the makeshift fencing. Her gentle beauty was amplified by the sincereness of her expression. "But I thought..." she paused, "...you're always staring at her," she tried feebly.

"That's probably because I'm trying to erase her," Tails admitted.

Erase her? Eradicate her best friend? Why? Cream stared more forcefully at the kitsune before her, who had suddenly grown more subdued. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to take offense or be relieved that he didn't have substantial feelings towards the rosette. Erasing her was probably a bad thing...

"What'd she do to you?" Cream began. It was the best way she knew how to open him up to the subject, to get him to come clean. She'd noticed he'd been acting funny lately, and although she had maybe read between the lines the wrong way, she'd still picked up on peculiar behavior. The most noticeable was always staring at Amy - quite fiercely, actually.

The bunny kept her voice low, balanced - inviting. She wanted to coax him into telling her of his misdoings. She wanted him to feel comfortable telling her things of this degree and not feel like he had to.

_I owe her an explanation, _he admitted internally. But when it came down to it, looking into those big brown eyes, he knew it'd be near impossible to tell her of his misdoings, of his ill-aimed thoughts. Thinking lowly of Amy would probably be a strike in Cream's book, and the little flurries he got in the pit of his stomach would surely turn to spiney spikes and cut him in half if she so much as looked on him in a disappointed way. He cared what she thought of him. And how could he not? She was the embodiment of all that was pure and good in the sick world. Cream was influential. Cream was pure. Cream didn't deserve to hear he'd been wishing her best friend didn't exist. That was most definitely a foul.

"...Reasons," he said lowly. "Selfish reasons."

If there was one thing she could read in his eyes, it was neglect. It was then she realized how aged he looked, how much his baby blue eyes had grown to suit an older gentleman and not a young teenage boy. He was an aged soul in a young body, wise beyond his years and hurt beyond them as well. Just what had him so worked up? What did Tails treasure more than anything else in the world?

"...Is this about her and Sonic?" she asked hesitantly, subconsciously moving closer to him as she spoke. He didn't flinch, yet his slouched, guilty manner didn't falter either.

Her and Sonic. Even hearing about it brought a spark to his eyes, struck momentum in his abandoned soul. She could see it, too; the very obvious jump in his expression, the blazing of blues against the contrast of her gentle, soothing cocoa. He didn't need to say anything at all to her question, because just his body language was enough to answer it.

In a very Amy manner, the bunny's hands slid around her hips and she gave Tails a scolding look. _She's been spending a lot of time with her,_ he thought fleetingly. _She's even starting to act like her._

"Miles Prower, you're jealous, aren't you?" she asked probingly. He didn't answer. How could he? Still, she pressed on, determined to draw some sort of answer or reaction out of the dumbfounded fox. "She's been waiting years for a little attention from him! Oh, Tails, he's always paid so much attention to you.."

He was coming undone. Posture crumbling, his normally very soft nature pulsing, rippling into something more brash, something more desperate. "Well, not anymore! I feel like he doesn't even remember me some days! It's always oh, AMY this, or AMY that!"

She'd never looked at him more sympathetically. She put a small hand on his shoulder; she was warm, her hand was soft, and he was probably blushing a little. This was the first time a girl - sans Amy, who was queen of the vice grip - had actually touched him. It was... nice, to say the least. "Have you talked to him about it, Tails?"

He bit his lip and looked off to the side. "...No."

Reassuringly, she squeezed his shoulder. It was as if she was saying "there there, I'm here for you. Don't cry. I'll still be your friend". He never realized how much he valued her friendship too. But there she was, smiling at him with a certain amount of understanding locked away under her lips, and serene compassion in her eyes. A lot of compassion, actually. He felt weak and meager under her gaze, like he wasn't enough at all.

Huh, funny.

* * *

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Hold your horses, jeez!"

Giggling substantially, the pink hedgegirl let the apple of her eye lead her blindly to the beach. She only knew it was the beach because she was wearing her dressiest sandals - white wedges with cork bottom and ribbon laces that tied around her slender ankles - and she could feel the grains of sand against the top of her feet. He'd told her to do herself up pretty, and she took that to the max. He had a hard time not paying attention to the mint green, short princess dress that fluffed out and gave her legs tangible shape. It was strapless but was cut modestly and hid cleavage, though it did expose her pretty shoulders.

She was pretty. Really pretty, but not at all in a purposefully sinuous way. She was practically glowing as he lead her down the beach, blind and her only lifeline being his fingers locked around her wrist. She slipped her wrist down and caught his fingers in her own; Amy felt him jump a bit, but only for a moment. He muttered something incoherently and kept tugging her along anyways. From across the beach, Tails and Cream grinned at him.

"Nice blush!" Tails mouthed teasingly.

Sonic gave him a dirty look. "Nice girlfriend!" he mouthed back.

Tails blushed as well, but not nearly as much as Cream did. They shared a nervous look and bumped shoulders playfully. They'd been standing closer together since the whole Amy fiasco mere hours before. There was a warmness between them. They both smiled contagiously, innocently. They wouldn't tell.

Meanwhile, Sonic, having actually dressed up for the occasion (for the most part), finally brought Amy down to the end of the beach that had been decorated. He looked over the area once, admiring the twinkling of the lights and the carefully placed candles, and flashed the two of them a thumbs up. Friends and guests had already taken seats around the tables. Most noticeably was Knuckles and Rouge, who were sitting together and Shadow, who was sitting along and far enough away from his girlfriend and rad red to be deemed suspicious.

Sonic gave them a warning look. The last thing they needed was a fight to break out between the three of them. Sonic'd heard about what went down with Shadow and Rouge. He'd been there to see Rouge dragging the drunk hog up the stars anyways. When'd her and Knuckles made up? And what made them chummy enough to share a table? They were notorious for fighting and bickering. Something wasn't right...

...But at Amy's party? That was just low!

"Noooow?" Amy asked again, breaking Sonic from the dirty look he was giving Rouge. He looked back at her and chuckled. With the hand she hadn't used to grab his fingers held over her eyes, she looked less like a charming 17 year old girl in a sassy, flirty dress and more like an eager 5 year old. He shouldn't have been surprised; maybe he was more accustomed to her age than he thought he was. Nonetheless, the model tugged on his hand childishly; he was fairly sure she was flirting at this point and not being completely serious. "Pleaaase?"

"Alright, alright!"

And once that hand fell from her eyes, bright green eyes darted about. She knew she was on the beach; she didn't know it'd been decorated and illuminated by candles. The subtle aroma of vanilla radiated off of each single candle that centered the tables, at which recognizable and friendly faces sat. Knuckles, Shadow, Honey the Cat, Mighty the Armadillo, even Blaze the Cat! She was especially impressed with the presence of Blaze. The feline was a princess from another dimension, and getting her there must've been a project in itself.

The more she looked around, however, the more she noticed how different the surroundings were. Stringed lights, warming the darkness with a toasty, soft glow. Under the gleam of the stringed lights, the shadows dampening Sonic's face made him especially attractive. His expression was murky, but just judging from what she could see - him cracking a grin, those summery green eyes peeking at her, his easy stance - she knew how all of this had happened.

"You threw me a party," she whispered warmly, her voice thick with sentiment.

It was enough to dampen his cheeks with pink. _Damn, she's always got a way to make a fool out of me,_ he thought, reminded of footsies with her earlier that day. Her eyes were just as pressing and urging as the tapping of her toes against his. "I.. yeah," he stuttered lamely, not sounding anything like he wanted to. He was supposed to be suave and smooth; it was her birthday, and he was sure she'd dreamed this scenario enough to crave a seductive heartthrob, not a stammering buffoon. "Uh, happy seventeenth, Ames!"

The rosette was advancing on him, and his core instinct was to run; his first thought was to bust out of his suit, take off down the length of the beach and bury any lingering feelings towards that girl in the sand. Things were being uncovered, things were washing up on the beach, and he could feel it. Everyone else's eyes were on them, burning holes in the back of his head expectantly. _You love her. You want to marry her. You want to love her, _his insides pushed, and his head was tilting down to look at her. Grassy green eyes were doing things to his insides; his stomach promptly turned to mush.

And he seriously thought she was going to kiss him right then and there. With the way she was looking at him, with the way the light was shining down on them, it all added up - this was her fairy tale kiss, the end of her waiting at the highest tower for him to get the guts to ascend, the lighting of their combined flames into one fire - but she didn't kiss him.

Her arms curved around him, pulling herself closer to his chest. Nestled into the fabric of his button up, she whispered a soft thanks for his efforts into the depths of his clothing. In all the time he'd known her, Amy Rose was never equated with "gentle". No, Amy was passionate, with tight grips and pleas for him to stay and be her boyfriend. Maybe... maybe giving in brought out a different side.

"You're the best," she finished, giving him a firmer squeeze.

The feeling of her around him lingered as she backed off, rushing over to tables to greet old friends. She was still there; the smell of her perfume was imbedded into his clothing. He saw Tails give him a firm look out of the corner of his eye; _this is for Amy, not you._

He could go right back to running away as soon as the night was over.

...He just had to survive the night. And if she was wearing that dress?

Sonic the Hedgehog beelined for the punch, hoping dearly that someone had spiked it.

* * *

...ahaha, sooo... I cut it before the party. A lot happens at Amy's party, and if I'd continued it the chapter would've been pushing 10,000 words; that means an even LATER update, and you guys deserve something, ya know?

Blah blaaaah I suck at Taiream, jeeze. I'm not very strong at Tails or Cream's characters. I pledged to myself to write a fic about more than just Sonic and Amy, however, and this is gonna have to be how it goes. I'll get better as I go on, I promise.

Hi, I'm Kat, and I'm a terrible updater.


	9. Trainwreck

**Chapter 9**

**Trainwreck**

* * *

Knuckles could still remember the first time he met Rouge. Some things about her had never changed; Rouge aged nicely. She still looked fantastic - not that she was old or anything, because he'd called her old once and she'd clubbed him over the head with a heel. One year his senior, Rouge the Bat was sassy, vindictive, brilliant and secretive. Above everything, however, that blasted batgirl was infuriatingly contagious.

Rad red grumbled and took another sip of grape juice. The last thing he was expecting when Sonic invited him to this shindig was to sit across from Rouge. He literally could not remember a time when they were on good terms for more than an hour. Being around her brought forth an unreasonable bundle of sentiment and exasperation. Being around Rouge the Bat was often strenuous of the mind and heart. Looking at her caused things to bubble up, caused his tongue to swell up in defense against sharp words and disdainful phrases. She was not to be trifled with.

Of dating anyone, Knuckles had assumed Shadow would be the one to tame her. Shadow was many things she wasn't; while Rouge was quick witted and sneaky, Shadow was blunt, stoic and resigned. Shadow didn't go looking to trouble, while Rouge instigated. Knuckles had thought maybe Shadow's traits would be the ones to negate hers, and together, maybe, they'd find normality.

So why did seeing them together that night at her club bother him so much?

It was no mystery that she was sexually active. To suggest otherwise was barbaric, ignorant; however, in his younger years, there was a time where he believed that maybe she wasn't so promiscuous and she lead on to be. He saw fear in her eyes once. He saw the little girl being smuggled and suffocated in her once, many years ago. The echidna was suddenly very intent on studying her face, the curve of her chin, the length of her lashes. Had that girl - the real Rouge, the girl she didn't like and struggled to hide - finally been done away with? Somewhere in the depths of her calculating head, was there grief? Was there remorse for things that she'd done?

Knuckles the Echidna was not stupid. He may have been gullible, but stupid was something he was not. He was fiery, hot headed, a wet blanket - but he was not stupid, and he could tell disappointment when he saw it. And there was nobody more disappointed at Amy Rose's seventeenth birthday party than one Shadow the Hedgehog, sitting at his table with his arms folded and looking just as broody as he had the first time he met the black hog on Space Colony Ark. The progression of anger to a facade of disbelief and ignorance that hadn't frosted over Shadow's features since he'd begun dating Amy those years ago was back.

Could it be that the two of them were fighting? Was everything not okay in drunken sexville?

"These finger sandwiches are kind of tacky," Rouge critiqued. "I wouldn't expect anything less of Sonic though. We're lucky he can figure out how to tie his shoes in the morning."

Her nails were manicured. Her hair was done nice. To any bystander, it'd be easily assumed that she was perfectly okay. Beautiful, even - beauty like that, beauty that was clearly upkept - that proved she was okay. She had the energy to pretty herself in the morning. She had a reason to.

But Knuckles was still more interested in the insecure, the girl he knew dwelled inside of her. Somewhere, beneath the heavy eye make up and that saucy red dress of hers, there was a woman suffocated; outspoken feelings. Repressed urges. Once, long ago, he saw a glimpse of her. Suspicions ran high, and he knew this girl. Barely, but he did; he knew how she put up a facade of perfection. He couldn't help but wonder what her home life was like as a child to give her such a complex. While he was training to preform his Chaos-given duty, Rouge was probably being pampered and shown the way. _And I wonder where those sticky fingers sprung from_, he thought begrudgingly.

Her manicured fingers - the very same ones he'd been admiring and staring at moments before - snapped in front of his face. Knuckles jumped, broken from his dazy, thoughtful stupor by the sound of her fingers hitting her palm. Whoops.

"Hey, aren't you paying attention?" she asked moodily. "God, you're such a knuckle head sometimes."

"Don't call me that," he grumbled, sinking lower into his see and taking another thick gulp of grape juice. He was fairy certain the punch had been spiked, and as far as he was concerned there was no way in Hell he'd be going down that road. Memory lane told him puking on Amy's floor wasn't a pleasant activity, both before and after Amy punished him (read: hammer time).

She rolled her eyes herself and nibbled on the 'tacky sandwich'. "Grump," she accused.

Silence fell between them again. It was questionable wether Rouge was doing it purposefully to punish him or if she just didn't have anything to say to him. The second was questionable, as for as long as he'd known Rouge the Bat, she always had something to say. Unlike Amy, however, Rouge had a censor... for the most part. She didn't simply vomit words for the sake of hearing her own voice.

Girls in flirty pastel dresses bounced and twirled by them like ballerinas, each skinny leg and lithe limb lead by their masculine dancing partners. The whole thing seemed staged, to him. Nothing was this perfect. There had to be a catch somewhere, didn't there? Good things happened to good people, but nothing planned by Sonic could go off without a hitch completely. Sonic had winged the party. He knew it.

It wasn't perfect to him. He'd rather be anywhere else than sitting across from a lock jawed bat - he'd rather be sitting in front of the Master Emerald, counting the grains of sand around the shrine and waiting until daylight. Sitting in a fold up chair and watching Sonic eat his heart out, staring at Amy as if she was the last slice of pizza and he hadn't eaten in days... it wasn't exactly his idea of a good time, even if it was probably good that he was giving her so much attention. However, attention... Knuckles looked back around to Shadow, not shocked at all to see Sonic's polar opposite watching the two of them with softer eyes. The blazing red that'd been so passionate and livid before when he was burning holes in the back of Rouge's head had been diluted, watered down, washed away and replaced with something completely and totally different.

"Tch," Rouge scoffed lightly; he'd just now realized she'd turned around to see for herself what caught his attention. "Sad, isn't it? I'm the hottest thing at this party and my boyfriend only has eyes for pinky."

It was supposed to come off as impassive, he was sure, but even he could tell something was up. The beginnings of her hidden thoughts were being to peek out; sprouting out of her skin, flourishing and blooming into it's own beautiful bud. Now, he just had to coax it out her.

It was easier said than done, but if Shadow wasn't up to it...

"Do you want to dance?" he spat out unembellished, one mutt held out to the sinuous lady in red. He felt his thumbs twitch, and he was suddenly immensely glad that his hands were encased in his gloves; girls made him nervous, and the one sitting before him was 100% woman. His hands were sweaty.

Actually offering to dance with her wasn't the nerve wracking and embarrassing part. It was when she stared him down, difficultly beautiful blue eyes scoping out his expression like a hawk. Always so calculating, this girl. Judging. Rouge stood up herself, a hand on her voluptuous hip while the other _tap, tap, tapped_ away on the table. Each tap seemed to punctuate her figurative ellipsis. Knuckles struggled valiantly not to let his honest look scurry away into something gruff and aloof; that'd be the last thing she opened up to. Maybe if she saw that nothing about him at that moment in her life was laconic, she'd find it in her to open up, to blossom out of her air of perfection into reality. There was a flash of it in her composure.

"Do you even know how to dance?" she finally asked, one eye ridge raised in a very sassy and Rouge way. She was pulling away and hiding back.

He shrugged once. "I'm trying to be nice here, batgirl. Take it or leave it," he responded instinctually. He was putting his own self on the line here, and if she wasn't going to take it, he'd recoil back into the safety of surliness towards her. It was easy to be closed off and fight her off. The real challenge was being honest with this girl.

Much to his chagrin (and surprise), however, she slid her own graceful hand in his large mitt and gave him a grin. Maybe he'd caught her off guard for a second, but the girl that was dragging him to the dance floor was the one he knew all too well. "You better not step on my toes," she teased, her plump, red-painted lips pulling into a wider smirk. A smile was pretty on her. It wouldn't hurt her to smile honestly a little more. A real, virtuous smile, not the teasing, cheeky smirk she often flashed.

"You better not step on my toes," she taunted, the expression on her face all too familiar. She literally yanked him closer, arms around his neck in a vice lock. He yelped and hand his mitts a good few inches away from her actual hips; was he even allowed to hold her, knowing that she had a boyfriend? One look at Shadow and it was obvious his attention was elsewhere. Hovering over her form, he stood there with heavy knees, like a clumsy gargoyle. She gave him a look. "Put your hands on me, you big galloot," she commanded, grabbing his hands away from the spikes and pressing them against her hips.

Buzzing, he scowled and looked away from her. "Take it easy," he grumbled.

"Hey now, you were the one who wanted to dance with me so much," she pined, her face approaching his mockingly. Her lips were pulled tight, red lips still dangerously arresting. It only vaguely dawned on him that his transfixed hands were on Shadow's girl. "Are you afraid of me?" she asked ghost-like.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "If I was afraid of something, what makes you think it'd be you? You have a boyfriend, Rouge. I was respecting boundaries."

Maybe that was a foreign concept to her; as soon as he'd said it, her expression lulled into something much less taunting and apish. It was possible that maybe she was rethinking her actions - falling all over him like that with full knowledge that her boyfriend was only seats away, with eyes on another girl (his ex girlfriend at that!), a model, the birthday girl, a ripe age of seventeen. She appeared to be calculating, thinking, anticipating; was her age shooting up? No, of course not. She was twenty two, not thirty, or forty, or anything geezer-like.

The bat pulled closer to him, her full bosom pressing up against the broadness of his chest as she pulled him in for a hug. She had to say, for as gullible and stupid as she made him out to be, he was build very sturdy. Rugged, fierce build, strength... a ghost of a smile haunted itself onto her expression. He could certainly put him a fight, too, and something about that was attractive in itself. And respectful? That was a brand new idea to her, something that men didn't usually express when around someone as sultry and seductive as her. Shadow did that, but...

She gazed over Knuckles' shoulder, feeling the heat from his cheeks warming her twitching her. No, her boyfriend was still quite interested in Amy Rose.

"That jerk," she scoffed softly.

Knuckles was stiff in his arms. He'd been in close quarters with Rouge before, but nothing like this - hugging her was new. It was habitual for the two of them to banter and fight, usually with their fists, but now that her hands weren't trying to claw his face off, he could that she was comfortable to be close to. Rouge was supple in all of the right areas, he'd always known that - he'd just never felt it personally. Living on a floating island all by himself didn't ever actually teach him much about the female biology and physiology. Rouge the Bat's architecture was magnificent; _so that's what boobs feel like..._ he was stiffer suddenly, unsure of how to react and where to move his hands, which were still cemented onto her smooth hips.

He hauled himself away suddenly, his mind kicking into overdrive. Too much stimulation for one echidna; this bat could do things to him that other girls couldn't. Hugging Amy never felt that nice. "Let's leave," he suggested. He could already tell she didn't want to be at the party either.

"Sneak out the back?" she suggested, that sneaky glint in her eye returned.

* * *

She was growing up.

The sweet little girl of only twelve, with intentions bigger than the both of them, coming to him and talking to him - not like he was a monster, but like he was a person. Little Amy Rose, in her gogo boots and bright green eyes, reminding him of Maria so much. There was so much he wanted to give her in return for her company... so it was the least he could do to come to her "seventeenth birthday shindig", as Sonic had so gracefully put it.

And the more he watched her twirl and giggle and smile wide, bright white teeth flashing, the better it felt to be seated and just be _there_. Amy was companionship. Amy didn't pull stunts to get him in bed with her. Amy was silly and sweet, and invited him over on every holiday to make sure he had somewhere to go. Every Christmas, she put presents under her tree for him as well. Every Thanksgiving, she invited him over for lunch and had him sit next to her while she watched the annual parade. It was the least he could do to return the favor. In fact, he wanted to. For everything she'd done for him to make him feel at home, to make him feel like an actual _person_ and not a science project, he wanted to make it up to her.

Only Sonic had beaten him to the punch on planning the party.

Of course, something told him that Amy knowing Sonic had planned her a huge birthday party would mean that much more to him, and that's what made him okay with the entire situation. It was refreshing to see Sonic give something back to her. She gave that guy everything - her heart, her home when needed, the best years of her life - and all he gave her most of the time was a smile or another girl around his arm for a while there. But tonight, no; she was all smiles, cheeks bright as he twirled around another time, inhibitions lost while reacting on pure subconscious desire to just please the girl. Shadow'd never seen a time where Amy was more happy.

"Is she your sister?"

Some cat was talking to him.

"...Not by blood," he answered after a long moment, in which he was struggling to identify the feline. She was lavender shaded, average height, with a ruby gem placed in the perfect center of her forehead. The golden color of her eyes were magnificent on her complexion. Maybe she was a friend of Amy's?

The girl gave a subtle shrug. Her mannerisms seemed reserved. The hedgehog was reminded of himself at once. "You were looking at her like one," she mentioned in her own defense. Those bright golds glided to the chair beside him. "May I?"

He pulled the chair out for her; even if Rouge had robbed him of his virginity didn't mean he had to drop chivalry and chastity, or just wholesomeness in general, and it was always proper to pull out a chair for a lady. He could tell by the way she carried herself that she was probably well off - the gem that sat on her forehead, that if it caught the twinkling lights just above would glow, was a hint in itself. How'd Amy know someone like her?

_Probably from her travels with Sonic_, he realized.

"She's been good to me while others haven't," Shadow explained, his voice hushed under the sound of girls squealing. Some teeny bopper boy band's hit song was blasting over the stereo. Blaze's left ear twitched and her demeanor only darkened as she herself shrunk back in her chair.

She bit down on her thin lip, seemingly fastidious on her choice of words or what she chose to splurge in thought and sentiment. This girl was quiet, private, uncommunicative. No wonder she looked so out of place at a place like this. Perhaps that was why she'd floated over to him. He, too, was sitting alone. He was a loner without Amy or Rouge, it seemed and this peculiar girl was out of place as well. It only made sense that two reclusive beings would bond together like lonely atoms. There was strength in numbers; maybe double the aloofness would cause the masses to quiet down and turn the music off.

"My name's Shadow the Hedgehog," he said finally, inferring that she wasn't good with conversation. He wasn't exactly the most talkative person either; it'd be a long party if the neither of them could spit anything worthwhile out.

She nodded with poise. It reeked of practice, however; she was experienced in that nod. It was clearly rehearsed. "Blaze," she introduced, her voice suddenly sturdier. "Blaze the Cat, obviously. Protector of the Sol emeralds."

He smirked in response. "Shadow the Hedgehog, Ultimate Lifeform."

Blaze gave a small smirk in response at his full title. It wasn't nearly a sarcastic eye roll, like he'd seen many guys give him, and yet it also wasn't the dreamy, big eyed stare that usually came from those of her gender. No, the regal feline beside him was different than the masses, that much was certain. He knew that feeling all too well; he was different. He didn't fit in unless Amy was there, helping him decorate her Christmas tree and holding his hand as she walked through the super market. Amy was his savior, the one who brought him into normalcy despite his completely abnormal life. Did Blaze have someone like that?

He considered asking her to dance for a moment. Amy would've liked that. She would've found it completely chivalrous and polite, and she'd have taken his hand with a bright, girlish bounce in her step and a dainty hand in his. But then again, this wasn't Amy Rose that was sitting before her. It was practically her polar opposite; this Blaze the Cat girl, this protector of the Sol emeralds wouldn't appreciate being brought to the center spotlight as Amy would. He himself was not the best dancer, though if a slow song came up he'd be fine. No fancy steps were involved in that; Amy had instructed him on the art of swaying and stepping when she was fifteen and brought him to a party. Sway and step, sway and step. Surely even Blaze could manage that.

But the last thing he wanted to do was take her out of her element. No, there was no sense in that because he was already so interested in how she reacted where she was comfortable. Alone, Blaze was interesting. Intriguing. There were noticeable differences between her and his other female friends. So different in which he had no idea how to properly get to know her better without coming off as too imposing and curious. He'd finally learned how to communicate with Amy, Rouge and Cream - Blaze was of a different species entirely, it seemed.

"How do you know Amy?" he asked casually, approaching her as if he'd been approaching himself in some cross dimensional two way mirror.

Blaze let out a soft hum, collecting her thoughts into a vocal capability. "I'm an old friend of Sonic's," she admitted. "Amy wasn't too fond of me the first time we met, as she assumed I was... well, interested in Sonic as she is."

"Were you?"

She raised an eye ridge. It was in an afterthought that he realized he had came off as a little prying and nosy.

"No, and I've never been," she answered curtly, taking another long sip of her beverage. From the looks of things, she'd scoped out some unspiked punch and didn't find it too horrendous. "Amy's very quick to jump to conclusions."

It wasn't a very fulfilling answer. Almost if it were made of fluff, of words that she'd practiced and was well accustomed to spouting off to earn satisfaction. Shadow soon found that he enjoyed making conversation with this girl. Unlike everyone else, she tested his wits. She brought new ideas to the table, and it took actual effort to make her smile. He saw the ghost of one haunt her expression as the conversation progressed, as he got to know her better. Blaze the Cat had a beautiful smile - from what he saw, anyways, and that in itself was radiant. Nothing about this girl was easy. She didn't give anything away as a freebie. No, it'd take some getting used to and bonding before she'd completely open up, and that fascinated the ivory hog.

"And how do you know Amy?" Blaze asked, her emotive golden eyes searching, pressing, prying. It appeared that she didn't regret approaching the hedgehog who was in a similar state to her. Conversation was better than watching happy, curvaceous girls in spring dresses flouncing around.

"She's... an old friend of mine," he mirrored. She smirked smartly. "An ex girlfriend actually, but don't tell Sonic that. He'd have a fit."

"An ex?" Blaze seemed impressed. A quirk of her lavender lips proved to get that point across.

_And speaking of girlfriends..._

It seemed as though Rouge had finally noticed his existence and came back - and the fact that he was sitting at a table, engaged in a thoughtful conversation with another girl. A fairly pretty one at that. Her face was riddled with betrayal, and the closer Rouge advanced on him, the louder each dramatic press of her heel grew distinction. He hardly believed it; Rouge was off canoodling with Knuckles earlier, and she was upset with him for talking to someone?

"Hey, handsome," she purred viciously, not at all sounding sensual and seductive. It was more imposing, with a hidden meaning of 'we'll talk about this later'. He literally had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at her. If they'd been anywhere else besides Amy's seventeenth birthday bash, he could've let it slip. Rouge was being ridiculous, and under normal circumstances he wouldn't have allowed it. He would of got up and left.

But this party wasn't about him and _his_ needs. It was about Amy, about celebrating her, and she was the best friend he'd ever had, which meant she didn't deserve his dirty laundry today. She did enough for him - the last way he wanted to repay her for all of her kindness and utter sweetness would be to get involved in a fight with Rouge. Amy didn't even _like_ Rouge. And then there was Knuckles, standing feet away from him and giving him a dreary look. He knew this'd been coming, and yet somehow he'd done nothing to prevent it. Shadow the Hedgehog was not blind; he could tell there was something between his girlfriend and that red echidna. Everyone had seen it; he just never thought anything would come from it.

Shadow had never been a particularly impulsive fellow. He chose his battles, for the most part. But with the way Rouge was staring him down, the way Blaze fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat... oh, something was up. Something was about to go down, and if he didn't have the self control to bite his tongue from scornful word vomit the whole party would go down the drain.

_Control. Control. You're slipping away from control... _his fist clenched. Blaze's eyes drew from the ivory gloves and the fabric clamping into the crevices of his hands up to the side of his face, the corner of his red eyes. Even as a bystander, she knew something was off its marker. She was about to get a front row seat to a train wreck, and she didn't know whether to politely excuse herself or sit and watch. Both options had their positives and negatives to the situation. Which was the lesser of two evils?

* * *

Sonic may not have been very good at talking to her, but he sure as Hell was a great dancer. For all of his faults - indecisiveness, unpredictability, instability - he was a wonderful dance partner. And, for one night only (_maybe, hopefully not_, Amy thought with giddy breath), he was all hers. His fancy feet weaved and pivoted around hers, one arm raised above hers, fingers laced as he twirled her in girlish circles, her dress fanning out with each rotation. Had it been any other night and he'd avoided her like the black plague, but this was different. This was real.

It was impossible to feel neglected when he was being so overall fond of her. He was smiling, both with his lips and his eyes. There was a warmth that he'd cleverly masked before, a passion that hadn't been so bluntly apparent. He was failing at hiding from her, from his feelings for her.

Would tonight be the night?

Her heart soared at the thought; it'd be the perfect end to a perfect night. Sonic taking her into his arms, holding her tight, whispering into her ear that yes, he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. It was fanatical, sure - but it was what her mind often conjured up, something she'd greedily indulged in as an escape from reality since her preteen years. Sonic loving her was a wonderful idea, and Sonic dancing with her was an equally as wonderful and fantastic action. And throwing her a party?

He twirled her backwards, pivoting her back until they were well away from the permitter of the party, away from the distracting hustle and bustle of the party. He had her all by herself and didn't entirely know what he was going to do now that they were there. She laughed sweetly, hovering closer and closer to him, and he felt nothing like he should've. In his past he'd often thought he'd feel trapped from that lingering look she was so practiced at; he'd felt caged, cornered, imprisoned, and now that he was in the situation for real nothing felt like he'd made it out to be.

In fact, the flourishing heat that started in the pit of his stomach and had leaked into his lungs, his chest, and across his heart like a metaphoric cage. She was incredibly pretty under the subtle glow of the stringed lights. She looked prettier than he'd ever seen her, because it wasn't just her beautiful that was making her lovely in that moment. No, it was the glisten of love in her eyes, the depth of emotion and admiration apparent in her grassy greens. Love was pretty on her. Love was natural in her. Hell, her parents had even named her accordingly.

They'd been at their game of cat and mouse for years; he ran, she followed. It was a well practiced game that they both knew the rules to. It was the same game they'd been playing since they were kids, since Amy was a tutu-wielding runaway and Sonic was a tubby drifter. Until that moment, when he was looking at her and wondering when things had changed, that he realized it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as it had once been. They'd both begun to grow up, and maybe Amy was pulling ahead of him.

And finally, he let himself wonder if maybe he loved her.

"Thank you so much for this, Sonic," she gushed, holding his hands in front of her gingerly. It wasn't a death hold. He wasn't losing circulation in his fingers. His hands were warm in hers, comfortable entirely. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

He struggled for words, to make sense of what he was feeling. The notion that he might actually love her was starling, and yet...

Loving her wouldn't be so bad. Not anymore, not since they'd both matured from their childish antics. The connection with just one girl was something he hadn't been accustomed to; he spent a long while struggling to find a perfect balance between physical love and keeping his heart far away from it to ensure freedom and had finally realized why it failed every time. His heart was in Amy's hands.

His heart had always been in Amy's hands, ever since she first introduced herself that first day with such boldness for an eight year old girl. Amy Rose wasn't like the other girls, he decided, looking down upon her pretty face and cute button nose. Nah, Amy had her quirks, sure; a temper, clingy, needy - but there was also a lot of good there, the stuff about he hadn't seen in his teenage haste for freedom and speed. To think, next year he'd be 21, and then older, and he didn't want to be the only one of his friends without someone to call his own. And then there was Amy, who'd been there for him all along, who was more often than not captured to lure him into places and then broke herself out, unlike so many other classic damsel tales.

Amy was different.

He smiled at her, pressing himself closer and resting his forehead against hers, leaning and hovering over the blushing rosette to do so. He could feel her anxious, uneven breath dancing against his muzzle, practically feeling the excitement radiating off of her being. Why'd it take her putting on a pretty dress and make up to get him to see her in such a new light?

No, no, it'd started weeks ago, with the magazine article, the dinner date and dragging in a drunken Knuckles to her apartment. It wasn't just now, with her standing so close to him that he could feel her sweet breath upon him, that made him suddenly so interested in her. It'd been growing for years, since his 'wild faze', when he'd think of her while holding dynamic blondes in his arms and not knowing why at all. She was always interesting, albeit a bit intimidating and scary. But in a nut shell, wasn't that love itself?

Maybe he was the one who was different. Maybe he was the one changing while Amy remained static.

"You're welcome," he finally managed, and it felt wonderful to actually mean what he was saying to this girl. Being honest with her was an entirely new sensation. Giving her a straight answer was new to him, new to the dynamic of their relationship. It was pushing boundaries that he'd built carefully years ago.

Sonic would've said more on the topic but he was too busy getting lost in her eyes. With his head resting against hers and eyes glued back and forth, the two of them gave the illusion of lovers. To bystanders, they were dating. They were in love. To anybody looking on, he was just as much in love with her as she with him, and that itself was motivation enough to just stop _fighting_ it.

His expression was solemn, his eyes searching her face pensively. He'd never looked more concerned with her, and her big jade eyes couldn't widen anymore than they already had. He let out a long breath, and she felt it on her lips; it left a tingling sting as her lips quivered anxiously. A long moment passed between the two of them. The rosy rascal had a million things to say and questions to ask, but for the first time in her life, she couldn't work up the nerve to actually ask it. Actively, her mind could draw out things she wanted to say to him, ways she wanted to thank you, to mention how gravely she wanted to kiss him senseless. The schoolgirl, childish crush she'd harbored for him in her youth had flourished into something completely mature. She was in love with him; it wasn't just a schoolgirl crush anymore.

Sonic the hedgehog was tense when he exhaled again, breathing "I don't want to live like this anymore," under his breath. For a second, Amy wasn't sure if she was supposed to have heard it.

But then he looked at her - not at her lips, or her chin, or the hint of cleavage that he'd caught other boys admiring. He looked her in the eyes, and suddenly she was very aware of Sonic the Hedgehog - the boy. He wasn't the hero, the supersonic hedgehog or the chaos emerald-wielding avatar. What she saw was Sonic the Hedgehog, a boy with a lot on his plate and a fear of what she meant to him. His hand scooped down to hers and he laced his fingers in the spaces between hers, sewing themselves together as if with a needle and thread. A shaky breath escaped him. Where'd that confident hero go? The man with all the answers and an easy air about him?

He was opening up to her. Letting her in, something she'd wanted all along as it was a stepping stone for a relationship, for something more, and when he began to lean in closer to her and her trembling lips, she was sure this was the greatest birthday _ever_.

Rouge's voice exploded and both hedgehogs jumped out of their skin. Foreheads bashed against one another and Amy shot back, holding her pink tuff and whimpering to herself quietly. A curse escaped Sonic, barely condensed under the meat of his breath and he turned on the balls of his feet, a scornful blush burned across his muzzle. Any anger diminished quickly, however, as he spotted Rouge and Shadow, engaged in a spat, with Shadow drenched in Amy's punch bowl and Knuckles standing aside, looking equally as livid.

The temptress was _screaming_; neither Sonic nor the nervous Amy -who'd crept beside him to catch a peak of the commotion - had ever seen her less composed. Normally, Rouge had her act together. It was Knuckles that came undone, and yet somehow it was he that was tugging on Rouge's arm in an attempt to tear her away from her boyfriend before she caused a bigger scene than she already had. The blue hog felt guilty. He knew tensions had been running high between them... he was the one that invited them after all, wasn't he? Rouge didn't even want to be there. Sonic clenched Amy's hand, fingers still laced with the rosy, warm hands of the best of him.

"Does she really have to do this here?" he asked irritably. He squeezed her hand again. He'd have spun around and actually kissed her if the atmosphere was still right. _I'm never going to find time for this though... _

And throughout Rouge's screaming and Shadow's silent, stony expression, throughout Knuckles trying to hold the livid bat back and Tails twirling a nervously giggling Cream, a single raindrop plopped across the ridge of Amy's nose.

Both of the hedgehogs looked up.

And then, during Amy's sweet seventeenth birthday bash, it began to downpour. Slowly, from the first few drops accumulating to more and more and more, and - Amy's hair was soaking wet, her dress soaked and he couldn't differentiate between her tears and the storm. A summer shower, he should've been more aware, he should've looked at the forecast! Between the screaming of the girls rushing to get cover, and the sound of Rouge and Shadow's argument finally coming to a close, Sonic had to ease in closer to get his words across to her.

He'd vowed to make this birthday better. This was supposed to be her perfect day, this was supposed to be his apology for crushing her heart like a bug, and it was a total train wreck. He didn't care that Rouge was probably screaming herself hoarse, or that the nice suit he'd rented was going to be completely ruined. No, it was the girl he was aiming to cheer up that had him in a pickle, the girl crying pathetically without an attempt at making the better of the situation. She was the pink pick-me-up, the one to bring a smile to everyone else's faces in the direst of times - and who was there to do it for her?

_It must be exhausting..._

The blue blur, in a split second decision, pulled the damp, shivering girl closer to him. "May I have this dance?" he asked, his face red with shame and embarrassment but eyes blazing. His arms were around her waist, holding her close, and when she whimpered and put her arms around him as well he began to sway. With only the steady pitter patter of the rain around them, with their feet damp and muddy from kicking off their shoes long before to gallop in the sand, the two of them slow danced thoughtfully. When she grew weaker, he pulled her tighter and held her closer, breathing in the scent of her dampened perfume.

"We're going to get so sick," she mumbled with a soft sigh. He nipped at the crease of her moist neck meekly, earning a small giggle from the girl. How sweet.

"You're young," he murmured to her. The feeling of her resting her head on his shoulder brought too much gratification; the rain was cold and his cheeks were warm, the difference almost soothing. "You'll survive."

He smiled against her head, leaning the side of his face against hers. There was no one around to judge him but the rain and the ocean, and with that he felt at ease.

_Happy Birthday, Amy Rose._

* * *

**Aaaaah, babies! My sweethearts!**

**I promised myself I'd have this up by last week, but as you all can tell, it wasn't. I've been off my rocker lately, emotionally and I don't know what's up. I think roleplaying has been just draining me; plus I get little to none of my ship of choice, so it's hard to be the driving SonAmy enthusiast I am when I don't play both parties, you know? **

**Maybe I'm obsessive. Meh. Everyone prefers their ship, and I prefer mine.**

**Blaze was never intended to appear in Moonstruck. She was literally added in this chapter because she'll be interesting to be around for future plots in the fanfic. Shadow needs someone to relate to, really, and while Amy may be the sweetest honey Shadow'll ever get (teehee LOOK, I CAN GET PUNNY) she doesn't relate to him on the same level as Blaze can. Blaze is just as stoic as he is, you know?**

**So.. er, yeah; there'll be minimal Shadaze to come. Be prepared. **

**How about Sonic's turn around though? **

**Don't be surprised. They're not getting together yet. WHOOPS. **


	10. Redux

**Chapter 10**  
**Redux**

"ACHOO!"

Tails wasn't quite sure how he got stuck with tissue duty, but one thing was for certain: Sonic was a pain in the neck when he was sick. The blue blur didn't often come down with anything. For the most part, his immune system was pretty flawless. With a body as active and healthy as his, the common cold and seasonal flus weren't overly abundant in his neck of the woods. Of course, Sonic didn't often dance in the rain, either, and certainly not slow danced. The kitsune fidgeted.

"Gah, thanks bud," the hedgehog groaned, nose dripping as he grabbed the tissue that was offered to him. "Do you need one too? You look like you're constipated or something."

Tails deadpanned. Usually he was all for the fun and games of Sonic's personality, as he was always up for brotherly laughs, but something about the reason behind Sonic's sickness had him miffed. He'd never gotten sick for him. "You have such a way with words."

"Whoa," Sonic yelped, pausing only to blow his nose and toss the crumpled tissue to the waste basket ("Swish!" he'd muttered proudly.) "What's wrong? And don't cop out and say nothing, because your nose twitches when you lie."

The mere mention of his guilty trait only made the kit's nose twitch more. He was caught red handed, and the boy took a moment to survey his options. There was always the option of complaining about being cooped up with the sick hog all day (which was partially plausible; when he was sick, Sonic was notoriously a complainer and unhappy. He couldn't do out and run with the flu after all!), but the guilty part of him - the part was was tugging and squeezing at his heart, rubbing his nose - wanted to come clean. It was best to come clean and just get everything out on the table.

"..." like a deer caught in headlights, Miles Prower had no idea how to begin. The beginning was always awkward. Even the night before he couldn't bring himself to give Cream the full truth to herself and relied on her inferring her way through the problem. Sonic wasn't exactly as sharp as the likes of her; had he been formally educated at all?

However, his big brother did seem to sense his discomfort. For all his faults, Sonic was rather observant. Of course, it was only after losing himself into another tissue and groaning like the undead did he rest a hand on the smaller man's shoulder and give a supportive squeeze. He was white washed with nostalgia for a moment, reminded of their past - there'd been many times when Sonic would comfort him on things, some as trivial as not winning that round of bingo against Ray or Cream to something as deep as his infamous parents. For the first time in what seemed like months, Sonic was exactly who Tails remembered him to be; the Sonic of his past, the easy going guy with a heart of gold, not the distracted drifter whose feelings towards a certain rosy rascal challenged the attention of his own adopted family.

Who was he to bring it up?

"...I just miss you," he confessed meekly, shoulders folding in. It was usually easy to talk to Sonic... Tails just didn't like to let him down. Being needy and clingy like he was - hadn't he grown out of that supposedly? Weren't the whiney arm tugs reserved for Amy?

It took Sonic a moment to put together the pieces. _Miss me...?_

Tails leaned forward more, tightening his body into a self conscious coil. He felt eight again, vulnerable and weak, fresh after Cosmo's death... that was the first time Sonic couldn't help him. He'd always viewed that moment as a catalyst, as the beginning of the descent of their tight weave brotherhood. Up until then, he'd always needed Sonic. Sonic had always been readily available, because back then Sonic would have dropped everything on a dime for him. Back before there were girls in his life, before Amy had begun to grow up... before any of them had begun to grow up.

Another squeeze adorned the punctuation of Sonic's breath. "Aw, bro..." the hand that had been supporting his kin reached back to scratch the back of his quills awkwardly, a nervous reaction that Tails'd seen him exhibit far too many times around a certain shehog for his liking. "'M sorry, I've been busy...!"

The fox couldn't help himself. "You're not too busy for Amy," still slipped out much too easily, despite how hard he bit his lip and despite how much self control the kid had pooled in the past few years. The statement cut through the tight air between them like a meat cleaver, chopping what was left of his dignity into fine slices, hovering between them.

Sonic seemed to be thrown off his mark. That was the first clue that something was different. In the past, Sonic could've thrown that one off easily. In the past, Sonic had no problem blowing Amy off for Tails' sake... but something had changed, morphed, grown and flourished into something that was a bit more than just his fleet footedness towards his number one fan. A blush - a_ blush!_- frosted itself across the ridge of his nose, glowing across his muzzle and he was a pastry, so sickening sweet and moonstruck over her that it'd impaired his better judgement. Something was different.

The blue blur tried to play it off, seizing a tissue and smothering it over the better part of his face. "I...!" he sneezed, groaning again, ears folded flat over. "...She's just a friend," he attempted lamely, defeated. It didn't even sound convincing to himself, like he'd already given up the fight long ago.

"A friend you slow dance with," Tails added. His brother shuffled and scowled, flopping back down into the mass of sheets and blankets. "...Do you like Amy? Is this going to become a thing?"

A long, awkward silence lingered between them. Cramped and fidgety, the blue hog couldn't seem to vocalize anything that he should've. Tails deserved an answer just as much as Amy did - just as much as anyone did! He'd been running from the question forever; for as long as anybody could remember, in fact. The answer burned on his tongue, singeing its way through and dropping right down to the bottom of his mouth, tucked away where nobody could find it. Did he like Amy?

He was brought back to the night before, to holding her by her slim waist, to twirling her, to her smiling eyes and abundant giggles and he knew there was no use denying it anymore. Whether he liked it or not, there was something there that hadn't been before. Somewhere along the lines of running from her and messing around with other women while she grew up, he'd fallen for the eight year old girl in a tutu and oversized trainers from the Little Planet. The realization was smoldering.

Veins burning and pulsing with binding comprehension, Sonic the Hedgehog sat up and just like that, the answer buzzed from his lips. The single "yes" dropped between the two brothers like an egg in a boiling pot of water. Tension droned between their locked gazes - tension Sonic wasn't even aware was there. He cleared his throat. "Ah... is that a bad thing? I would've thought you'd be happy to hear me finally say it. No more lies."

Tails felt covetous, sitting before his brother and not showing one ounce pride or support. His big brother had a breakthrough and he was seething with envy, his lonesome little two-tailed heart tightening inside his chest.

After rubbing his nose on his arm, Sonic cleared his throat once more. Attention fell back on him. "I said no more lies... seriously, bro, what's up? You're not yourself. You should be all sorts of excited for your little date with Cream."

The kitsune's fists clenched. "I said that I missed you."

Sonic's expression was blissfully blank. Scratching a quill behind his head, he laughed awkwardly and tried to act casual. In all honesty, he had no idea what Tails' problem was. "...Yeah, and? We're hanging out right now, aren't we?"

"...You're missing the point!" he finally exclaimed, earning himself a severely confused look from his big bro. Tails stood up completely, and for the first time in his life he felt powerful over Sonic. Looking down at him was a different experience completely; it was empowering, and it was nothing like the childish head pats he'd gotten from Sonic in the past. "You spend all your time with her! I mean... when was the last time you and I went out for a run together? When was the last time you spent serious time with me?" he exploded, shaking, fists clenching. "She's all you ever talk about anymore - probably all you think about, too!"

"Tails, c'mon-" he was interrupted by a swat of his hand. Sonic retreated, his hand limply returning back to the blankets that pooled around him. Tails stood before him, expression vulnerable, tiny. The power that'd soared through him before must've travelled with his rant, because the look in his eye was distinctly familiar, pleading.

The fox was at a loss of words; his wrist tingled, a reminder of his actions. He'd never hit Sonic before, even if it was a measly swatting away. Something between them had changed. _I'm turning into a monster. I'm letting this get me. _

His brother's eyes were sore with remorse. Tails couldn't bear to look back at him; his eyes slid down to his lap, where his hands wrung each other tighter and tighter, back and forth. He was a bucket of nerves; guilty about snapping at Sonic in such a way and guilty about feeling the need to snap at all. How'd their friendship even sink so far? He squirmed, uncomfortable in the very surroundings that'd brought him such solace so often in his past. Inverted conditions.

He could feel the green eyed monster roaring in his chest just begging to be released. Even as guilty as he felt, he still wanted to let him have it; verbally, however, he was sure it'd never happen. Any remnants of his voice had long since fleeted with his pride.

"...I'm sorry," Sonic admitted simply. "I didn't plan on crushing on Amy either, you know. Hell, I'd always thought she'd be the last person I'd fall for."

Tails was tense. "I've known for a while that something was up..." a heavy sigh racked through him. Emotionally, he was drained and it was beginning to wear on him physically. First Cream and now Sonic... who else was going to find out he was like a needy schoolgirl? "Are you going to ask her out?"

The proposal, in past years, would've come off as chaff and playful. However, given the circumstances... Sonic squirmed and slumped deeper into the bed. He wanted to burrow away and hide from the question completely. Even though he'd finally struck mental gold in the revelation that he had feelings for Amy Rose, the thought of actually being her boyfriend still made his skin crawl. Amy was a beautiful, sweet and passionate girl - and she was so willing to wait behind if it meant he'd come running back. He'd spent more than half of his life running from the girl; what would it be like to fess up to wanting to kiss her again?

"...No," he coughed out, grasping for another tissue to tear his mind away from the subject at hand. Thinking too hard about matters of the heart often left him more confused than when he started.

"You're kidding me, right?"

Sonic winked an eye open. "I thought you'd be happy about that. You'll get more of me, ya know?"

"...But not at that expense, Sonic!" The kit sighed and leaned forward, expression clearly apologetic. The younger boy was shamefaced; the guilt had finally torn at him. _Let him have a chance to be happy,_he mused to himself. His namesakes twined together anxiously. "You just said that you like her-"

"I _think _that I like her," Sonic interrupted, sitting up and not looking as sick as he'd been acting for the past few awkward minutes. Those green eyes still held the same alert ardor that they'd had for years, through sickness and in health. "Confessing to Amy is like selling your soul to the devil! You can't ever go back on it."

"...But why would you want to go back on it if you like her?" Tails asked. Didn't people in love have that whole red string of fate going on? A tether - they'd always be pulled back together, no matter how fierce the strain? Tails was reminded of Cream, of setting up the beach with her and helping her hold the poles straight, of ringing the lights around the perimeter, of holding her waist nervously to the tune of a familiar ballad...

He was drawn out of his evocative daze by Sonic's noisy chortling. Red faced, he folded his arms and fell back into his chair like a scolded child.

"What?" he asked. His heart buckled in crippling suspicion. Just what had Sonic assumed? Sonic the Hedgehog was notorious for being a jokester. In fact, the only thing more famous than his attitude and personality was his well worn speed. Odds were he'd assumed something, and a quick flashback to the night before had him nervous that Sonic'd noticed all the right things.

Sonic's grin was sly. "Why're you drilling me with questions when you're crushing on Cream so bad, huh? Are you going to ask _her_out?"

The blush remained poignant. _Damn, tables have turned!_"Nuh - I don't like Cream like that!" he yelped, hoping if he scooted back far enough in his chair that he'd disappear. He'd said that he wanted Sonic to spend more time with him like he used to, and he sure was getting it. "I... no, no, she... hey, that's not fair! You know Amy's head over heels for you!"

"Oh, puh-lease," Sonic grinned wider. "She told me she likes you. Go for it! Dating her ensures dozens of pans of fresh baked brownies a day, and you've got a sick brother that you should be nursing back to life!"

So maybe she had no excuses for the way she'd been acting.

Did she always need a reason to be angry? Rouge blamed her biology; as a woman, she was prone to chronic mood swings and an irrational need to always be the center of attention. It was in her DNA, her genetic coding. That's what she told herself anyways and she was sticking to it. Of course, that didn't help the bubbling shame that blistered at her ankles. She was literally drowning in self pity and disrespect.

Okay, so maybe the way she'd acted was a little unpredictable and inappropriate. Maybe the timing wasn't ideal. Maybe the location was impolite, too, considering it'd been another girl's seventeenth birthday and she was pretty sure she'd interrupted a confession or two...

Perhaps that was the reason she felt so inclined to stand outside Shadow's door, hovering on the doorstep like a lost puppy or a girl scout after a long day of zero sales. And how the mighty had fallen; Rouge was off her rocker with guilt. She hadn't even pulled high heels on in the morning. All she could do was stare at the door with such an intensity that surely Shadow _had_to open the door. The energy to knock on the door was zilch.

The doorbell was a sufficient replacement.

What exactly was she so angry about anyways? It wasn't like she'd been completely innocent herself, flirting around with Knuckles even though she was with someone else. _Fooling around_with Knuckles... what was it that Shadow found so sexually unappealing about her? Never before had she met a man who didn't want to roll around in the sheets with her. Was she insecure?

No, no, she couldn't be; Rouge wasn't impulsively an insecure and demure girl. She was sure of herself and she was bold, she made business deals and ran her own nightclub without the help of any man. Just because one guy didn't want to sleep with her didn't mean she was imperfect. Not in the slightest.

._..Right?_

But it wasn't just anymore, Rouge realized as her significant other opened his door, because it was Shadow. Shadow, who she had a history with. Shadow, who'd been with her through some of the hardest and most strenuous times but never left. Shadow, who wanted to wait to make the first night of passion that much more special. Standing before him, the bat realized how morally juxtaposed the two of them were - Shadow and his oddly conservative and old school nature and Rouge and her feminist toughness and sexually mature outlook.

"...Shadow," she choked out. It was only then that she grasped the crippling fact that she didn't know what to say to him. She never was good at apologizing.

The hedgehog leaned against the doorway, fur ruffled from his slumber and eyes drooping with fatigue. With an ungloved hand over his mouth he yawned, looking more like an aged man than she remembered him. The definition in his face, the shape of his mouth; he wasn't still a little childish looking like Sonic.

"Rouge," he said, voice still murky with hints of sleep, words slurring just enough for her to notice. "You look well."

She knew he was being civil. She didn't look anything like she normally did; jeans, a tank top and sneakers were not her normal choice of apparel. Rouge the Bat took great pride in being a trendsetter, an icon on top of the fashion world and she looked frumpy. A hint of red burned across her muzzle. "Thanks," she mumbled, running a hand through her hair (it was tied back, however, and she didn't get very far). "I... Well, I wanted to apologize for what happened last night. It was wrong of me to explode at you like that."

He seemed to be observing her, deciding just how honest she was being with him. With good reason, of course, because she was infamous for her sticky fingers and way with words. The girl was sly and he wasn't an idiot; putting two and two together lead one to assume he was being extra careful with matters concerning her. She could've taken offense from it if she wasn't already ashamed enough to be standing on his doorstep. This was what girls like Amy and Cream did, not her!

"...Forgiven," he stated simply. "I'm going back to sleep."

Something told her he was only trying to settle her mind; especially when he was closing the door on her. Why was he so hard to read? Shadow was a closed box; mysterious and difficult but wonderful once the contents were revealed. He'd been making such progress recently, as he'd been opening up more and more to her. Conversations had gotten past the lukewarm awkward phase long ago, and after dating Amy he was much more open to conversation. She ought to be more jealous than she was. She was certainly jealous enough at the party.

Maybe it was because she knew Blaze would understand him. The bat had met the lavender feline only once, and even then it was easy to tell that she was different than the average girl. She was much quieter and soft spoken than she. Blaze was deeper, of course, than the average girl, much like Shadow was to his own respective gender. Even their personalities were similar; surely she'd understand a guy like Shadow better than she ever could... the bat girl clenched her hands together. Maybe that was why she was so defensive over it.

And then there was Amy, with her young little butt and big pretty green eyes. She was sweet and sassy, half of what Rouge was not, and it appeared that it was the sweet part that Shadow seemed to like the most about her. Amy was still very naive to the world, as she believed in fairy tales and myths that most girls her age had long given up on. Amy was still chasing that happy ending, that happily forever after that Rouge had given up when she was ten years old. Shadow looked at her with warm, parental eyes, a certain glow of admiration that was absent in his gazes towards her. So what, because Amy was more emotionally insecure than her, she deserved more attention? And why was he still so intent on staring at her? They broke up! Amy wasn't any more interesting than she was. Amy certainly wasn't any more _enticing_ or _exuberant _than she was, either. Nor did they have the history that she and Shadow had; there was a certain fondness that came from working together on missions so often.

No matter the reason, however, she needed to straighten herself out. Rouge needed to pull herself together before she messed up another function... or broke another heart. Something in her psyche was off, throwing her through hoops and misjudging situations entirely. Conventionally, she wasn't a jealous woman; she was Rouge the Bat, sensual and demanding of attention, sure, but she wasn't jealous. In normal situations, she had no reason to be. The anchor that'd been tugging away at her chest dropped lower, dragging on the dirt beside her as she strode. Hadn't she already grown up enough?

"Did you ask him out?!"

With pink cheeks, the little bunny girl sincerely regretted letting her big sister in on any of her romantic drama. Amy squealed and scooted closer to Cream, bunching up the quilted blankets under her willowy pink knees. The sundress that she'd picked for the day rode up her thighs, not one inch of that pink skin darker or lighter than the rest. The bunny huffed and blushed magnificently; she knew Amy's intentions were only meant to be helpful, but the pushiness and instigating never seemed to cease fire.

She meant well, she reminded herself hazily.

"I... well," Cream stumbled over her words, the pinkness of her cheeks almost parallel to Amy's fur. "I... I might've...?"

Her big sister squealed and squished her into a tight, eager hug. "Aw, Creamsicle!" she cheered and rocked her back and forth like her favorite childhood dolly. The rabbit was squashed and sandwiched between the rosette's slim arms, her surprising strength never failing to crush the breath out of her.

She sat between her sister's grip in patient pain, hoping that her squeaks would shake the rosette out of her patented death squeeze. Amy was beautiful looked delicate on camera, but one thing was for sure: she didn't know her own strength. The bunny had bruises on her ribs to prove it.

"Breath, breath!" she finally called once realizing that her surrogate sister was in much too good a mood to notice the little things, like Cream's desperate need for oxygen or the way her cheeks were turning a magnificent shade of purple. The grip relinquished finally as the fawn shaded bun relished in prize; a big gulp of sweet, sweet air. She turned to face Amy again, quietly laughing at her apologetic smile. "You're stronger than most of the guys I know, jeesh."

With a wave of her slender hand, the pathetic attempt at changing the subject off of Cream's own love life was vanquished. "Shhh," the rascal grinned. "I still need details. When're you going out with him? What are you going to wear? How'd it go? What did you SAY?" another squeal embellished her babbling as she grabbed the rabbit's hands and hopped about where she sat. "This is big news! I'm so PROUD of you."

The rabbit was bound to follow in Amy's footsteps eventually, after all. Years of watching her role model profess her love on a daily basis had been a fairly hypnotising experience; maybe some of Amy's spitfire confidence had finally rubbed off on the preteen. Finding it in her to finally come clean about her feelings had certainly come from tailing after Amy for the better part of her life. Arguably, it was both the worst and best thing she could've inherited from her time with the female Rose.

Amy sat there, grinning like a fool and patting Cream's right hand like a proud mother who'd just witnessed her only son receive his diploma. Needless to say, the heat that was so abundant upon her cheeks hadn't let up any; especially since all of the focus in that moment was aimed at her and her love life.

And for the first time ever, it seemed, Cream had the leg up on Amy. While Cream had an honest to goodness date with a boy she was really crazy about, Amy was sitting and listening, smiling and waiting and nodding and none of the things she'd ever expected. The Amy of their youth would be pouting and complaining, the Amy of their youth would be storming down to demand Sonic's hand in marriage... they were both glad the Amy of their youth had matured.

"...And he said yes," the rabbit finished, the silliest smile smeared across her pink face like face paint.

"You're so lucky," Amy sighed and leaned forward - albeit dramatically, in that very Amy Rose way that nobody expected her to outgrow - and sighed. Cream questioned her previous observation about her sister's supportiveness. "Tails seems so sweet over the entire thing. You've really got yourself a keeper, and he's your first boyfriend!"

The rabbit could almost feel the jealousy radiating off of the hedgehog like a space heater. She gulped. What was that about Amy growing up again?

"I started pursuing guys a little later in life than you did..." she blushed softly and squirmed where she sat. She could tell Amy was trying hard not to make a big deal out of it (which was a big deal in itself, because her big sister was a big mouth).

"A year!" she waved her hand again and leaned back, an oddly serene smile gracing her famous features. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't complain too much. I got a slow dance with Sonic. _In the rain_. That's a huge deal, considering the fact that the guy's practically hydrophobic!"

"He bathes, you know..."

Amy threw her hands up and sighed again, flopping back against her couch. It was clear that the rascal was out for the count; and that Cream was safe from more pestering about her intentions with going out with Tails. If there was one thing that Cream could always count on, it was that as soon as the topic of her long term flame came into the conversation, Amy would lose herself in her fantasies. Maybe her big sister wasn't so mature and glamorous after all.

Excusing herself from somebody that was no longer paying attention, she scurried over to the kitchen to fetch herself something to drink. The buzzing feeling in her chest hadn't gone away yet. It'd been fluttering around since she'd woken up that morning, since she'd finally let it sink in that she had a date. She, Cream, with the thin hips and the awkwardly long legs and the flat chest, had a date with a boy, and her model best friend didn't.

It was empowering, to say the least.

Can somebody say LATE FILLER CHAPTER FUCK YEAH?

It's been a long and wild summer. I've been busy trying to get my muse back and trying to focus on a fanfiction, but my mind's been everywhere. I've gotten into a lot of fights and lost a lot of friends this summer. I'm a little more closed off than I used to be.

But hey, you all care more about the fic than my backstory, and I'm totally okay with that.

I need to finish plotting the in between chapters of this fic, holy crap. This chapter is short. Sorry. :


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